Kelong – small settlement on the coastal region of the Bintan island group
Kelong is located in the Kepulauan Riau (Riau Islands) province, within Bintan regency (part of the Sumatra macroregion), in the Bintan Pesisir district (Bintan Pesisir kecamatan). Based on its coordinates (0.87° north latitude, 104.68° east longitude), it is situated near the southern and southeastern coastal region of Bintan island. The administrative seat of Bintan regency is Bandar Seri Bentan, otherwise known as the area of Teluk Bintan kecamatan. Independent, settlement-level statistical data for Kelong is currently unavailable; therefore, the information presented below relies on verified data available at Bintan regency level and generally established information about the broader surroundings, with clear indication of this framing in all cases.
General overview
Kelong is a relatively small, lesser-known settlement in Bintan Pesisir district, which—as its name suggests—administratively encompasses the coastal strip of Bintan island. In this part of the Bintan island group, the local society is typically built around fishing and coastal small communities, with livelihoods significantly dependent on marine resources. Bintan regency as a whole had a population of 184,631 people based on data from the end of 2025; however, the available sources do not contain a specific breakdown for Kelong directly. Bintan regency was previously known as Kabupaten Kepulauan Riau; based on Government Regulation No. 5 of 2006, it received the name Bintan on February 23, 2006, partly to avoid administrative confusion with the province of the same name. Bintan Pesisir district encompasses the less urbanized, coastal-adjacent part of the island, where infrastructure and public service provision are typically more modest than in the northern part of the island visited by tourists.
Real estate and investment
No independent, settlement-level data is available for Kelong's real estate market; therefore, the information below presents the broader market context of Bintan regency and Kepulauan Riau province. Over the past decades, the real estate market on Bintan island has primarily been active in the northern tourism zones close to Singapore—such as the Lagoi area—where resort developments and hotel investments have taken place. The southern and southeastern coastal regions of the island, where Kelong may be located, have generally been less affected by these development processes, with property prices and investment volumes remaining more moderate. In Indonesia, regulations concerning land ownership generally distinguish between full property rights that can be acquired by Indonesian citizens (Hak Milik) and time-limited usage rights available to foreign natural and legal persons (such as Hak Pakai, Hak Guna Bangunan). Foreigners cannot directly acquire Hak Milik title; specialized legal advice is recommended before selecting the applicable legal framework. Bintan regency generally represents a stable, though moderately growing, real estate market among Indonesia's island regions, with the direct proximity to Singapore and ferry connections generating some investor interest across the island group as a whole.
Safety and security
No specific, settlement-level statistical data is available for public safety in Kelong. The generally accepted assessment of Kepulauan Riau province and Bintan regency within it is that this region can be counted among Indonesia's relatively peaceful areas. The coastal, small-community lifestyle characteristic of the island world, as well as moderate population density, generally result in a lower incidence of serious violent crime compared to larger urban agglomerations. A generally recognized challenge specific to the Riau Islands stems from the permeability of maritime borders, resulting in smuggling and illegal trade issues, for which authorities employ enhanced maritime border security. However, no verified data specifically linked to Kelong or Bintan Pesisir district is available regarding these phenomena, so this remains only general knowledge about the broader region.
Tourist attractions
No named tourist attractions that can be directly linked to Kelong and identified from sources appear in the available documents. Tourist attractions noted across Bintan island are primarily concentrated in the northern coastal region, where resort facilities, beaches, and golf courses are found around the Lagoi Bay area, and from which regular ferry connections operate toward Singapore. Based on the coastal nature of Bintan Pesisir district, it can be assumed that the fishing villages, mangrove forests, and open water surfaces facing the South China Sea in the vicinity provide a natural backdrop; however, detailed descriptions of these elements specifically related to Kelong cannot be provided based on available materials. For those interested, the more distant, well-known destinations of Bintan regency—such as the developed resort zones in the northern part of the island—are necessarily accessible by car or other land transportation from Kelong, though source-based data on the precise distances to these locations is not available.
Summary
Kelong is a modest-sized coastal settlement in Bintan Pesisir district, part of Bintan regency in Kepulauan Riau province. Positioned on the southern and southeastern part of Bintan island near open water, the broader administrative framework for this community is provided by Bintan regency, renamed in 2006, which had a population of nearly 185,000 people at the end of 2025. Independent statistical or tourism sources specifically for Kelong are not yet available; therefore, for more detailed knowledge of the settlement, on-site inquiry or contact with the competent authorities of Bintan regency is recommended.
