Genting Cruise Lines Celebrates Dream Cruises’ Maiden Call

Bintan Island, Indonesia, 9 July 2018 – Genting Cruise Lines celebrated on 7 July 2018 Dream Cruises’ inaugural arrival to Bintan Island with a visit from the award winning Genting Dream, as part of her collection of round trip itineraries year-round from Singapore across the ASEAN region. Commencing 6 July, the introduction of the newly enhanced 2-Night Weekend Getaway cruise with optional Bintan Island shore excursions will provide vacationers with a convenient option to explore the nearby tropical island destination while enjoying a world-class cruise experience on Dream Cruises.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signing Ceremony between Genting Cruise Lines and PT. Bintan Resort Cakrawala during the inaugural arrival of Genting Dream at Bintan Island on 7 July 2018
Left to Right: Mr Raymond Lim (SVP, Planning & Port Management, Port Operations, Genting Cruise Lines) & Bapak Abdul Wahab (Group General Manager of PT. Bintan Resort Cakrawala, Gallant Venture Group)

Genting Cruise Lines continues to pioneer new cruise destinations across Indonesia with Dream Cruises, elevating popular destinations, such as Bintan Island into an international cruise destination for the region. With over 150,000 gross tonnage, Genting Dream is the first international cruise ship of this size to call on Bintan Island, opening new opportunities for further development of the various local tourism industries while concurrently stimulating the growth of the regional cruise tourism industry with fresh and innovative new offerings for vacationers of all ages.

In conjunction with this event and as part of the company’s on-going and long-term commitment to Indonesia and the region, Genting Cruise Lines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PT. Bintan Resort Cakrawala to signify joint efforts in creating new opportunities for the local cruise tourism development in Bintan Island. Genting Cruise Lines recognises the need for more adequate cruise infrastructure in this region and has actively taken the lead in pioneering the Asian cruise development to ensure a successful deployment. With Genting Cruise Lines’ vast experience in cruise development works particularly in Indonesia, including recent calls to Medan and North Bali, Genting Cruise Lines is optimistic that similar success will be achieved with its deployment to Bintan Island.

To commemorate this occasion, a special event was held at the Bintan Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal, attended by Indonesian government dignitaries, business and trade partners, local and regional media, as well as Genting Cruise Lines and Dream Cruises’ management. Notable guests at the welcome event included Bapak Dr. Nurdin Basirun, Governor of Kepulauan Riau Province, Indonesia, Bapak Dr. Indroyono Soesilo, Honorary Advisor to Tourism Minister & Chairperson, Acceleration Team for Marine Tourism Development, Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, Bapak Dr. Marsetio, Senior Advisor to Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Resources, Retired Admiral and Former Chief of Navy, Indonesia, Bapak I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, Indonesia Ambassador to Singapore and Mr Thatcher Brown, President of Dream Cruises.

“Indonesia continues to be a well-appreciated destination and key source market for the Genting Cruise Lines brands. Today, Dream Cruises is extremely excited to be here in Bintan Island to celebrate another milestone with our Indonesian partners and friends as Genting Dream makes her debut in one of Indonesia’s most popular islands,” said Mr Thatcher Brown, President of Dream Cruises. “Our weekend cruise to Bintan Island is just one more example of how we innovate new itineraries – in this case our weekend getaway cruise now incorporates a world-class destination resort experience catering to the different vacation desires of our guests,” he added.

“With Genting Dream sailing to numerous destinations in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Surabaya, North Bali and now Bintan Island, we remain highly committed in developing Indonesia’s tourism industry, along with the regional cruise industry as a whole. With a capacity of over 3,000 passengers, Genting Dream is poised to introduce even more tourists with every sailing to each of these destinations in Indonesia. Also, together with the continued support of the local government and the various pa

Bapak Dr Indroyono Soesilo, Honorary Advisor to Tourism Minister & Chairperson, Acceleration Team for Marine Tourism Development, Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia said “The regular arrival of Genting Dream cruise will definitely bring with it positive momentum to Bintan. The ship’s regular visits carrying thousands of passengers will definitely contribute to Bintan’s regional economy in addition to boosting the tourism image of the island.”

Bapak I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, Indonesia Ambassador to Singapore said, “The maiden voyage of Dream Cruises’ Genting Dream from Singapore to Bintan is the beginning of a wider exposure of Bintan Islands as a world class tourism destination. Therefore, it is essential that Bintan should prepare itself to welcome more foreign tourists and make their stay in the islands convenient, enjoyable and memorable.”

Bapak Apri Sujadi, Regent, Bintan Regency, Indonesia said “We are very grateful, that this new breakthrough will bring forward tourism sector of Bintan, which certainly will increase number of visitors as well as growth of regional income in the area of tourism.”

Mr Eugene Park, Group CEO, Gallant Venture Group said “Bintan Resorts is excited to see the billion dollar Genting Dream making regular calls at Lagoi, Bintan. We look forward to welcoming 3,000 to 5,000 international visitors to Bintan Resorts every trip and hope to make each and every passenger’s trip fun and unforgettable!”

The launch of Genting Dream’s 2-Night Weekend Getaway cruise to Bintan Island adds value and creates new experiences with optional shore excursion activities available for vacationers of all ages. Travellers seeking a short and easy get-away can now enjoy a more seamless and comfortable journey directly to Bintan without the hassle of packing and unpacking or searching for accommodations locally.
Vacationers can also choose to pamper themselves in ultimate luxury with Dream Cruises’ ‘The Palace’ – an exclusive ‘ship-within-a-ship’ concept with European style butler service and private amenities.

With a 12-hour stopover at Bintan Island, vacationers will have plenty of time to experience the entire island, exploring pristine, white-sanded beaches, quaint seaside villages and an impressive list of hotels and resorts offering water-sport activities.

chill-cove-treasure-bay-8 – xsDuring Genting Dream’s visit to Bintan Island, guests can indulge in a variety of pre-planned shore excursions carefully vetted by Dream Cruises to ensure quality and reliability for the ultimate in hassle-free and worry-free experiences. Shore excursions will encompass all that the island has to offer from sampling local cuisines to shopping and traditional Indonesian massage. For the more adventurous, Bintan Island is famous for its range of water and land activities including wakeboarding, kayaking, snorkelling and off-road ATV tours while nature lovers can visit the Safari Lagoi, ECO Farm or take a Mangrove Eco Tour.

For golf enthusiasts, Bintan Island offers a number of world-class golf courses designed by some of the game’s most famous stars. Shore excursions range from SGD 50-70/person and golf packages range from SGD150-190/adult (prices include return ferry ticket from the ship to Bintan Island).
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Guests who prefer to explore Bintan Island on their own can also arrange a Free and Easy Expedition (SGD 30/guest) to discover the destination at their own pace with inclusive ferry service and coach transfers to and from Plaza Lagoi Bay in the beautiful Bintan Island Resorts area.