Indonesian cities popular with foreign tourists
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Tourism has revealed several cities in Indonesia that are popular destinations for international tourists, particularly those from the Asian region.
“They do not go to other countries, but to Indonesia, because it is comfortable. They can also shop for many souvenirs for their families and so on,” said Ni Made Ayu Marisset, Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism, when met by ANTARA in Jakarta on Friday.
Based on monitoring by the Ministry of Tourism, Made stated that there has been a positive upward trend in visits from several countries to Indonesia, including South Korea, China, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Made noted that tourists from Singapore and Malaysia enjoy visiting because they consider Indonesia a worthwhile destination for spending. Malaysian tourists, in particular, enjoy spending money on souvenirs for their families in Jakarta, Bandung, Bali, Bintan, and Batam in the Riau Islands.
“Because they do not have mountains, and the same applies to China; they do not have mountains like our tropical ones. Therefore, that also adds to our tourism value. This is why Bromo and Ijen have become famous for the Chinese segment,” she said.
She added that Chinese tourists are also increasingly visiting Manado, North Sulawesi, due to the opening of direct flight routes between Manado and Guangzhou. Visits are predicted to increase further due to the tourists’ fondness for marine culinary delights and seascape views.
Other cities identified by Made as popular destinations include Labuan Bajo, Lombok, and the Gili Islands. This indicates a diversification of tourist destinations within Indonesia over the last two to three years.
Made also assessed that tourists are obtaining information regarding other destinations through international tourism exhibitions and social media.
“Most importantly, if they can stay longer—for those visiting from nearby locations, we want them to stay more days, as previously it was only around three to five days,” she said.
As for tourists from distant locations such as Europe, she hopes they will spend more to enjoy Indonesian tourism, considering the current geopolitical uncertainties that affect the economic sector and ticket prices in their respective countries.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Tourism is also encouraging travel agents and tour operators (TA/TO) to create attractive tour packages to attract more tourists to explore the country. It is hoped that all these tour packages can be widely distributed through social media.
Previously, the Minister of Tourism, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, stated that visits from the Middle East to Indonesia during January-April 2026 decreased by 1.89 per cent, and during March-April 2026, decreased by 20.65 per cent compared to the same period the previous year.
She continued that international tourist arrivals from Europe during January-April 2026 also decreased by 6.5 per cent compared to the same period the previous year.
However, the number of tourist arrivals from Southeast Asia, other parts of Asia, Oceania, and Africa during January-April 2026 increased by 11.38 per cent, 15.27 per cent, 6.84 per cent, and 5.59 per cent, respectively.