Indonesia’s tourism sector showed positive growth trends in 2025, supported by improving international arrivals as well as a robust domestic market.

From January to October 2025, the number of foreign tourist arrivals reached 12.76 million, up 10.32% compared to the same period in 2024. While full-year figures have yet to be released, arrivals are on track to meet the Ministry of Tourism’s 2025 projections of 14-15 million with an average visitor spending of US$1,220.

Malaysia remained Indonesia’s largest source market, accounting for 17.1% of arrivals, followed by Australia (11.48%), Singapore (9.38%), China (8.9%), Timor-Leste (6.17%) and India (4.73%). Together, these six markets contributed 57.77% of total international arrivals during the January–October period.

Domestic travel also remained a stabilising force, with trips projected to reach 1.08 billion for the year.

From super-priority destinations to gastronomy

Indonesia has accelerated its destination development strategy, expanding from five super-priority destinations in January 2025 to 10 by year-end, alongside four regenerative tourism destinations across the archipelago.

The regenerative destinations include Bali, Jakarta, Batam and Bintan, while a new tourism cluster has also been announced in the country’s new capital, Nusantara (IKN), in East Kalimantan.

Indonesia was recognised by La Liste in France as its “Destination Champion” for 2025. Photo Credit: Ministry of Tourism

Gastronomy has emerged as a key pillar of Indonesia’s tourism positioning. The country was named “Destination Champion” by France-based La Liste for 2025, highlighting Indonesia’s growing visibility in global food tourism and its ambition to position gastronomy as a core travel driver.

Within hospitality, 33 Indonesian hotels and resorts were awarded Michelin Keys, underscoring rising quality standards across the accommodation sector. At the destination level, Pemuteran Tourism Village in Bali was named one of UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Villages, while Osing Kemiren Village in Banyuwangi, East Java, was selected for a UN Tourism upgrade programme aimed at supporting high-potential rural destinations.

Tourism 5.0 and onward

Looking into 2026, the year will focus on three tourism priorities.

The first is strengthening tourism safety, which Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana described as the foundation of a healthy tourism ecosystem and comfortable travel experiences.

The government will continue developing tourism villages and thematic tour packages targeting premium travel markets. A month-long Wonderful Indonesia Wellness event was also launched, which brought forth two regional festivals: the Royal Surakarta Wellness Festival, hosted by the Surakarta Hadiningrat Palace, and the Jogja Cultural Wellness Festival, organised by the Yogyakarta Regional Tourism Promotion Board. Both events attracted 3,735 visitors.

Supporting the overall tourism push is the MaiA (Meticulous Artificial Intelligence of Indonesia), rolled out last November. The smart AI-integrated platform functioning as both an itinerary provider and digital travel companion also features an interactive country map, key tourism information including culture, crafts, destinations, culinary and fashion, alongside a digital events calendar.

The third priority will focus on scaling world-class events as a key economic multiplier. In 2025, Indonesia organised hundreds of events, including 99 Karisma Event Nusantara, 46 national-scale events, 29 international events, and 24 MICE events, attracting 12.2 million visitors across Indonesia and generating an economic turnover of more than IDR 23.76 trillion, Minister Widyanti revealed.