Indonesia Records 10.58 Million Foreign Tourist Visits in First Eight Months of 2026

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia recorded 10.58 million foreign tourist visits from January to August 2026, marking an increase of 5.38 percent compared with the corresponding period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said Indonesia received 1.6 million foreign tourist visits in August 2026 alone, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.27 percent.

She said the figures reflected the continued resilience of Indonesia’s tourism sector and positive growth in tourism activities across the country.

The minister noted that the strategy of diversifying short-haul and medium-haul tourism markets had yielded encouraging results. Tourist arrivals from other Asian regions increased by 8.41 percent, while arrivals from Southeast Asia and Oceania grew by 7.75 percent and 7.36 percent, respectively.

Tourist arrivals from the Middle East also recorded cumulative growth of 1.30 percent as conditions in the region gradually improved.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa said domestic tourism continued to play a significant role in supporting the country’s tourism industry.

She stated that domestic tourist trips reached 104.30 million in August 2026, an increase of 11.47 percent compared with August 2025.

From January to August 2026, Indonesia recorded 842.15 million domestic tourist trips, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 4.29 percent.

“Domestic tourism remains a key pillar of Indonesia’s tourism resilience. We want its growth to benefit more regions,” Ni Luh said.

She added that the ministry would continue encouraging Indonesians to travel within the country while promoting a wider range of destinations to distribute tourism benefits more evenly across different regions.

In contrast, trips by Indonesian residents to destinations abroad declined by 6.02 percent in August 2026. During the first eight months of the year, outbound trips fell by 3.56 percent to 5.91 million.

The gap between foreign tourist visits to Indonesia and outbound trips by Indonesian residents widened to 960,000 in August 2026, compared with 820,000 in the same month last year.

Cumulatively, the surplus reached 4.67 million visits during January–August 2026, up from 3.91 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

Ni Luh further stated that tourism contributed 4.78 percent to Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, highlighting the sector’s broader economic significance.

She emphasised that tourism extended beyond travel and destinations, contributing to employment generation, the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), investment attraction, foreign exchange earnings and the development of local economies.

The sector also supported connectivity, cultural preservation and environmental initiatives across the archipelago, she added.

The Ministry of Tourism aims to ensure that the sector’s expansion delivers benefits beyond increasing visitor numbers, with a focus on generating business opportunities, improving community welfare and promoting sustainable destination development.

According to the ministry, tourism development should create economic opportunities for local communities while safeguarding Indonesia’s natural environment, cultural heritage and national identity.