Indonesia Remains Safe; Tourism Minister Assures Tourism Unaffected by Middle East Conflict
The Indonesian government has ensured that all tourism destinations across Indonesia remain safe and comfortable for tourists, despite the world currently facing geopolitical dynamics, including developments in the Middle East region.
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhani emphasised this point at the Ministry of Tourism’s Monthly Report held in Jakarta on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, accompanied by Deputy Tourism Minister Ni Luh Puspa.
“The government continues to monitor developments in the situation carefully,” said Tourism Minister Widiyanti in an official statement. She emphasised that tourist safety remains the top priority.
The minister explained that tourism is a sector closely linked to cross-border mobility. Consequently, global dynamics can impact international travel flows.
To maintain stability in the tourism sector, the government has implemented a series of adaptive measures, including ensuring that all tourists affected by airspace closures in the Middle East receive safe waiting facilities until flights can resume.
According to the Tourism Ministry’s monthly performance report, early 2026 has shown positive trends. In January 2026, the number of domestic tourist journeys reached 102.04 million journeys, a slight decline of 0.93 per cent compared to the previous year. This decline is considered normal given its position between the Christmas-New Year holiday period and the momentum of Chinese New Year and Ramadan.
On the other hand, journeys by Indonesian citizens travelling abroad increased by 1.65 per cent, reaching approximately 1 million journeys. Favourite destinations continue to be dominated by regional neighbours and traditional markets that remain the government’s focus.
Despite this, the level of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia remains higher, supplemented by Mobile Positioning Data (MPD), keeping Indonesia’s tourism foreign exchange balance positive.
The government is also preparing tourism destinations ahead of major holidays, especially Ramadan 2026. These efforts include strengthening destination facilities and increasing quality standards.
In early February 2026, President Prabowo Subianto launched the Indonesia ASRI movement (Safe, Healthy, Clean, Beautiful) to strengthen the quality of national tourism destinations.
Through various strategic measures, from strengthening promotion and improving destinations to enhancing human resources, the government is ensuring Indonesian tourism remains resilient amid global uncertainty.