Batam Museum Visits Dominated by Students and Foreign Tourists
The Culture and Tourism Office (Disbudpar) of Batam City, Riau Islands, recorded that visits to the Raja Ali Haji Museum from January to May 2026 were still dominated by students and foreign tourists, with a total of 2,984 visitors.
Head of Batam Disbudpar Ardiwinata said students were the largest group of visitors each month, although numbers declined ahead of the school exam period.
“Students are indeed the largest group of visitors to the museum. Usually, they can reach 400 to 500 people per month, but in May it dropped to around 78 people, likely because the children were facing exams,” Ardiwinata said when confirmed in Batam on Friday.
Based on Disbudpar Batam data, museum visits in January reached 959 people, February 858 people, March 45 people, April 744 people, and May 378 people.
In February, for example, the museum received 551 students, 118 general visitors, and 189 foreign tourists. Meanwhile, in April there were 426 students, 145 general visitors, and 173 foreign tourists.
Ardiwinata explained that the number of visits in March declined because it coincided with the month of Ramadan, reducing educational tourism activities to the museum.
“Apart from students, foreign tourists are also one of the largest visitor segments, averaging almost 200 people per month,” he said.
According to Ardiwinata, the foreign tourists who come generally originate from Singapore and Malaysia, including retirees or those in the over-50 age group who have an interest in Malay history and culture.
“They are interested because this museum presents a fairly complete historical journey, from the Riau-Lingga Kingdom, the history of Batam, to the story of Nong Isa. Many groups from military circles and foreign institutions also visit,” he said.
To enhance the visitor experience, Batam Disbudpar also directs tourists to utilise the mini theatre facility available at the museum.
“Every time there is a visit, we always direct them to the museum’s mini theatre, because there is a video they can watch about the museum’s history,” he said.
The facility presents audiovisual material on Malay history and culture and can be used for community educational activities.
“The response from visitors has been quite positive. The facility is considered interesting, informative, and helps visitors understand the history of Batam and Malay culture in a more interactive way,” Ardiwinata said.
Meanwhile, in terms of regional revenue, the Raja Ali Haji Museum recorded retribution of Rp24.95 million up to May 2026.
The tourist attraction under Disbudpar Batam’s management that contributed the largest retribution still came from the Dendang Melayu area, which reached Rp176.41 million in the same period.