Bankruptcy forces Indonesia's Bintan Lagoon Resort to close

 

According to multiple news reports, the 36-hole Bintan Lagoon Resort on the Indonesian island of Bintan is closing its doors and filing for bankruptcy. Approximately 500 staff will lose their jobs.

Bintan Lagoon was built in the 1990s, and features a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus and another with Ian Baker-Finch’s signature. The Nicklaus course is noted for its proximity to the ocean, and also a curious green on the back nine which is cut by a creek.

The island of Bintan is easily accessible from Singapore via a 75-minute ferry ride, and the Bintan Lagoon Resort was popular in its early days with both day tripping golfers as well as those looking for a semi-luxurious golf break. The resort has sustained losses over the past few years, and is believed to be closing because of the damage done by the COVID-19 virus and associated travel downturn.

The Asia Golf Industry Federation website carries a report on the sad demise of the resort, with the following detail.

Sprawled over 300 hectare of beachfront gardens and consisting of 450 rooms, suites and villas, BLR is the largest integrated resort in Bintan Regency, Riau Islands. It billed itself as ‘a tropical lifestyle destination that offers a medley of unforgettable experiences for leisure, golf and MICE groups’.

The centrepiece of the resort that was a popular getaway haunt for Singapore-based golfers were the Jack Nicklaus-designed Seaview Course and the Ian Baker-Finch-sculpted Woodland Course.

TTG Asia’s report said that the resort’s financial woes were worsened due to the impact from Covid-19, leading them to file for bankruptcy in late July.

The written closure plan was submitted to the Bintan Regency Employment Agency on July 31, 2020.

Indra Hidayat, Head of Bintan Employment Agency, was quoted by Indonesia’s Antara News Agency as saying that his party has dispatched a team to review BLR’s closure plan. “We also provide guidelines on matters that need to be fulfilled by BLR in order to close their business,” he added.

It’s estimated that up to 500 staff will lose their jobs as a result of the closure. Indra added that he would oversee the process of lay-offs for BLR employees, especially in ensuring the company fulfil its contractual obligations to employees in accordance with applicable labour laws.

 

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