Jakarta. BP Batam, the city’s development agency, in partnership with the Public Relations Coordination Agency (Bakohumas) recently held a forum zeroing in on the region’s development as a leading investment destination.

The forum brought together public relations (PR) personnel from ministries and government agencies. According to BP Batam’s head of public relations Ariastuty Sirait, the forum did not only seek to discuss the city’s investment updates, but it also sought to bolster the collaboration between all public relations personnel to promote Batam which is now transforming to a modern city.

"PR holds a pivotal role in informing the public about the region’s development. People will be able to absorb the information through good and responsive communication,” Ariastuty said.

Ariastusty said Batam had grown to be the Riau Islands’ economic driver. Batam’s economy grew 7.04 percent in 2023. Ariastuty added that Batam could witness more robust growth in the future with the presence of two special economic zones (SEZs). BP Batam is currently developing a health SEZ centered in Sekupang as a means to attract investors. The more investment Batam attracts, the bigger its impact on Batam’s economy, according to Ariastuty.

Hasyim Gautama, the director for governance and the Communications Ministry, attributed the city’s current development to BP Batam’s strategic role of attracting investors. The Nongsa Area development program is set to become an investment magnet. The Nongsa Digital Park SEZ would become the main gateway for the center of digital industry development.

“SEZs provide an inclusive economic impact for Indonesia through the creation of job opportunities for thousands of workers. We hope that PR personnel play a role in spreading the word about this success,” Hasyim said.