Bintan, Indonesia: Southeast Asia is poised to lose two more golf courses with Bintan Lagoon Resort (BLR) shutting its doors.

According to a report in TTG Asia, the 36-hole golfing venue, which is a 75-minute ferry ride from Singapore, has decided to cease operations after sustaining losses over the past two years.

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 upto 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.