List of Indonesian Cities Where Foreign Tourists Spend the Most Money

The Ministry of Tourism has revealed a number of cities in Indonesia that are popular with foreign tourists, particularly those from the Asian region. “They don’t come to other countries, but to Indonesia, because it’s comfortable. They can already do a lot of souvenir shopping for family and so on,” said Ni Made Ayu Marthini, Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism, on Friday. Based on the Ministry of Tourism’s monitoring, Made stated there has been a quite positive trend of increasing visits from tourists from several countries to Indonesia, such as South Korea, China, Singapore, and Malaysia. Made said tourists from Singapore and Malaysia like to visit because they consider Indonesia a worthy destination to spend money. Malaysian tourists enjoy spending money on souvenir shopping for their families in the cities of Jakarta, Bandung, Bali, Bintan, and Batam in the Riau Islands. Meanwhile, tourists from Singapore enjoy seeking locations for aesthetic photos and destinations offering adventurous experiences, such as the mountainous regions of East Java. Similar experiences are also sought by Chinese tourists. “It’s because they don’t have mountains, even in China, there are no mountains like our tropical ones. So that also adds to the value of our tourism. That’s why Bromo and Ijen have become famous for the Chinese segment,” she said. She added that Chinese tourists are also starting to visit Manado, North Sulawesi, more frequently since a direct flight route between Manado and Guangzhou has been opened. Visits are also predicted to increase due to tourists’ fondness for marine cuisine and sea views. Other cities deemed popular with tourists by Made include Labuan Bajo, Lombok, and the Gili Islands. This demonstrates that a diversification of tourist destination choices within Indonesia has occurred over the last two to three years. Made also assessed that tourists get a lot of information about other destinations through overseas tourism exhibitions and social media. Addressing the issue of the weakening rupiah exchange rate, she believes this moment can be used as a time to boost tourist spending, especially in terms of souvenir shopping.