Expats want to relax for holidays

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

Christmas and the New Year are nearing but expatriates working in Batam are taking a low-key approach to the holidays, in keeping with the lack of overall fuss in the city.

Julia, a 40-year-old South Korean, said she would stay at home and spend Christmas Eve with friends and family.

"It will be no different from normal days. We will sit down together, drink, watch television and make a toast at night. Nothing more than that," said Julia, who has lived and worked in Batam for seven years.

Julia, who runs a Korean restaurant in the city, said most of the other expatriates she knew would be doing the same thing on Christmas Eve.

A Singaporean expatriate, Grant Gammell, 51, who spent several years in Batam, said that in stark contrast to his home country, Christmas and the New Year passed largely unmarked and uncelebrated in Batam.

"In Singapore, Christmas and New Year's decorations are everywhere as the holidays approach. But it is different in Batam. It seems people in the city do not care about the festivities, as seen from the lack of Christmas and New Year's decorations on the streets and on public buildings," said Gammell, who worked as the general manager of a four-star hotel in Batam and is now the sales and marketing director at the Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta.

Gammell first arrived in Batam in 1985 and although he now lives in Jakarta, he still goes back to visit friends.

"Batam has few natural tourist attractions so the expats choose either to stay at home during the holidays or leave Batam for Singapore," he said.

Despite the large number of expats living in Batam, at least 3,000 live and work here, the local administration has done little to entice them to celebrate the holidays, and spend their money, in the city.

Batam is home to numerous factories producing everything from electronic goods to garments. With its proximity to Singapore, Batam is an industrial hub that attracts companies from around the world.