Tourism Minister: Middle East Situation Impacts Tourist Arrivals
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Tourism Widiyydanti Putri Wardhana has stated that the geopolitical situation in the Middle East has impacted the number of international tourist arrivals to Indonesia.
“Starting from 28 February 2026, the global geopolitical situation has begun to heat up, particularly the conditions in the Middle East. This certainly creates much uncertainty for the tourism sector,” she said during a working meeting between the Ministry of Tourism and Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) in Jakarta on Wednesday.
She reported that visits from tourists from the Middle East to Indonesia decreased by 1.89 per cent during January-April 2026, and dropped by 20.65 per cent during March-April 2026 compared to the same period the previous year. Based on passport data held by tourists, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, the number of arrivals from the Middle East to Indonesia was 22,410 in January, 6,241 in February, 6,592 in March, and 18,312 in April 2026.
Widiyanti noted that the decline in Middle Eastern tourist arrivals is also reflected in data regarding flight cancellations passing through that region. “This is not surprising, as there have been 1,232 flight cancellations via the Middle East up to 30 April 2026, which means there are 127,376 potential trips that could not be realised,” she said.
The Minister of Tourism also stated that international tourist arrivals from Europe during January-April 2026 decreased by 6.5 per cent compared to the same period last year. According to BPS data, total arrivals from Europe to Indonesia were 154,713 in January, 157,874 in February, 154,500 in March, and 214,879 in April 2026.
However, 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. Widiyanti suggested that the increase in arrivals from these regions demonstrates that Indonesia remains a preferred destination for international tourists.
She also noted that the average expenditure of international tourists per arrival in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 5.36 per cent compared to the same period the previous year, and the average length of stay for international tourists during that period increased by 8.53 per cent year-on-year. BPS recorded that international tourist arrivals to Indonesia in April 2026 reached 1.25 million people, an increase of 14.75 per cent compared to the previous month. The cumulative number of international tourist arrivals throughout January-April 2026 was recorded at 4.68 million visits, an increase of 8.24 per cent compared to the same period the previous year.