8.2 Million People Predicted to Enter DIY During Eid Holiday 2026
The Regional Police Chief of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), Brigadier General Anggoro Sukartono, disclosed that DIY, as a primary destination for public mobility during the mudik (homecoming) and Eid holiday period in 1447 Hijri, will receive 8.2 million visitors during the 2026 Eid break.
This surge in mobility was the primary focus of a Coordination Meeting of the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) addressing preparedness for securing the homecoming flow during the Eid holiday on Tuesday, 10 March, at nDalem Ageng, Kepatihan Complex, Yogyakarta. The meeting was chaired directly by DIY Vice Governor KGPAA Paku Alam X, accompanied by Regional Police Chief Brigadier General Anggoro Sukartono.
Anggoro stated that the high volume of public mobility during each homecoming season has the potential to create various vulnerabilities. Beyond traffic congestion, increased public activity can trigger security disturbances and disaster risks due to weather factors.
“The very high public mobility will certainly create vulnerable points. For this reason, this coordination meeting is held to ensure all stakeholders are ready to face such conditions,” said Anggoro.
Several transport hubs are expected to experience significant activity increases during the homecoming period. These include Tugu Station and Lempuyangan Station, which are the main entry points for railway passengers.
Additionally, passenger movements are predicted to increase at Adisucipto Airport and Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA). Both airports have been the main access routes for people arriving in Yogyakarta via air.
“An increase in visits is also expected in several tourism areas. This condition has the potential to cause traffic congestion on various road sections leading to tourist destinations and city centres,” he said. Consequently, the police, together with relevant agencies, will conduct Operation Ketupat Progo 2026, conducted simultaneously from 13 to 25 March 2026.
He mentioned there would be 25 police security posts spread across the entire Special Region of Yogyakarta, in both cities and districts, and at certain points the number of personnel would be increased.
This is supplemented by the readiness of relevant agencies, such as the Health Department and Ministry of Religion, which provide rest area facilities at designated places of worship. The Health Department also prepared 24-hour emergency posts. “Although there is a long holiday, hospitals and health centres will continue to operate 24 hours,” said Anggoro.
Furthermore, the Regional Police Chief ensured that surveillance would be tightened on routes with specific conditions to anticipate potential traffic accidents. The Regional Police Chief, Brigadier General Anggoro Sukartono, stated that information about such road conditions is important input for officers involved in securing the homecoming flow.
On routes that cannot be repaired in the near term, security will be enhanced with more intensive personnel placement. This step is taken to anticipate the possibility of road users unfamiliar with road conditions in the areas they pass. “On routes already marked as having specific conditions, we will increase security. Personnel will be deployed more intensively compared to routes that are merely regular surveillance spots,” said Anggoro.
He added that this enhanced security also aims to anticipate public unfamiliarity with road conditions they travel on, especially for homecomers from outside the region unfamiliar with route characteristics in Yogyakarta. “Many people coming from outside the region are unaware of the route conditions they travel on. With information conveyed earlier, we can prevent potential accidents due to such unfamiliarity,” he added.
Beyond enhanced surveillance on certain routes, the police will also strengthen coordination with relevant agencies to disseminate information about homecoming route conditions to the public. This information dissemination is considered important so that homecomers can better prepare their journey, including anticipating possible vehicle slowdowns on several road sections.
To prevent traffic from becoming gridlocked, the Regional Police Chief continued, the National Police (Polri) together with DIY Regional Government have prepared a traffic engineering scheme for both the homecoming and return periods.
The Regional Police Chief, Brigadier General Anggoro Sukartono, following the Forkopimda Coordination Meeting, explained that the plan to activate the tollway has undergone a survey process conducted jointly with the Ministry of Transport.
According to him, the tollway section will be planned to function as a one-way route used to facilitate vehicle flow exiting Yogyakarta after the peak arrival of homecomers. “We have received information from the Ministry of Transport that the Purwomartani Toll will be activated one-way for exit access from DIY,” he said.
This policy is prepared considering the high volume of public mobility predicted to enter Yogyakarta during the homecoming period. Based on the Ministry of Transport’s survey results, the number of arrivals is estimated to reach approximately 8.2 million people.
This figure is derived from various indicators. These range from estimates of private vehicle usage, the number of railway passengers at Tugu and Lempuyangan Stations, to monitoring of vehicles entering main tollway routes such as Kalikangkung Toll Gate.
The majority of homecomers are estimated to come from the Jakarta region and its surroundings. With overland travel time of approximately six hours, vehicle congestion is estimated to begin increasing several days before Eid.
“This data will be used to predict congestion. Given that the largest contributor of tourists is from Jakarta, we predict reasonable travel distance coverage.”