The Culture and Tourism Office (Disbudpar) of Batam City, Riau\nIslands, recorded that visits to the Raja Ali Haji Museum from January\nto May 2026 were still dominated by students and foreign tourists, with\na total of 2,984 visitors.<\/p>\n
Head of Batam Disbudpar Ardiwinata said students were the largest\ngroup of visitors each month, although numbers declined ahead of the\nschool exam period.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents are indeed the largest group of visitors to the museum.\nUsually, they can reach 400 to 500 people per month, but in May it\ndropped to around 78 people, likely because the children were facing\nexams,\u201d Ardiwinata said when confirmed in Batam on Friday.<\/p>\n
Based on Disbudpar Batam data, museum visits in January reached 959\npeople, February 858 people, March 45 people, April 744 people, and May\n378 people.<\/p>\n
In February, for example, the museum received 551 students, 118\ngeneral visitors, and 189 foreign tourists. Meanwhile, in April there\nwere 426 students, 145 general visitors, and 173 foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Ardiwinata explained that the number of visits in March declined\nbecause it coincided with the month of Ramadan, reducing educational\ntourism activities to the museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cApart from students, foreign tourists are also one of the largest\nvisitor segments, averaging almost 200 people per month,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to Ardiwinata, the foreign tourists who come generally\noriginate from Singapore and Malaysia, including retirees or those in\nthe over-50 age group who have an interest in Malay history and\nculture.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are interested because this museum presents a fairly complete\nhistorical journey, from the Riau-Lingga Kingdom, the history of Batam,\nto the story of Nong Isa. Many groups from military circles and foreign\ninstitutions also visit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To enhance the visitor experience, Batam Disbudpar also directs\ntourists to utilise the mini theatre facility available at the\nmuseum.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time there is a visit, we always direct them to the museum\u2019s\nmini theatre, because there is a video they can watch about the museum\u2019s\nhistory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The facility presents audiovisual material on Malay history and\nculture and can be used for community educational activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe response from visitors has been quite positive. The facility is\nconsidered interesting, informative, and helps visitors understand the\nhistory of Batam and Malay culture in a more interactive way,\u201d\nArdiwinata said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in terms of regional revenue, the Raja Ali Haji Museum\nrecorded retribution of Rp24.95 million up to May 2026.<\/p>\n
The tourist attraction under Disbudpar Batam\u2019s management that\ncontributed the largest retribution still came from the Dendang Melayu\narea, which reached Rp176.41 million in the same period.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/batam-museum-visits-dominated-by-students-and-foreign-tourists-1781846446", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }