According to data from the UNWTO, Indonesia's outbound departures only amounted to 3.54 million in 2022, an increased compared to the previous year. The number of outbound departures in 2021 was the lowest in the past ten years. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Indonesians going overseas had been continuously increasing, though not at the same rate as domestic travels. State of outbound tourism in Indonesia By 2021, the ratio of outbound trips to households in Indonesia was predicted to reach 15.4 percent, nowhere near that of neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. The relatively high costs of outbound travel would make such trips inaccessible to many Indonesians. In 2019, Indonesians spent around 11.3 billion U.S. dollars during their outbound travels. For many of those who traveled abroad from Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, Saudi Arabia was their preferred long-haul destination. This was most likely to fulfil either the hajj or umrah pilgrimage. With the opening up of Saudi Arabia to tourism in 2019, many more Indonesians could be expected to travel there for leisure purposes as well. COVID-19 and its impact on outbound travel The growth in outbound travel in Indonesia was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in global travel restrictions. With Indonesia among the most affected countries in Southeast Asia, many countries had imposed travel restrictions for travelers from there. The reverse was also true, with inbound international tourists decreasing drastically. To make up for the lack of international tourists, the Indonesian government had promoted domestic tourism. The number of domestic trips for holidays and leisure purposes in Indonesia had been on a downward trend, however. Whether this measure would be enough to save Indonesia's tourism-heavy economies such as Bali, remains to be seen.

According to data from the UNWTO, Indonesians spent around 6.29 billion U.S. dollars during their outbound travels in 2022. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbound travel expenditures by Indonesians had been increasing, along with the number of outbound travels.

According to data from the UNWTO, the inbound tourism expenditure in Indonesia was approximately 7.04 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, significantly increased from the previous year. Tourism is one of Indonesia's biggest industries and certain local economies, such as Bali, were heavily dependent on this sector.

According to data from the UNWTO, the outbound tourism expenditure over imports of goods in Indonesia in 2021 was at 0.3 percent. This was the lowest share that was recorded during the surveyed period.

According to data from the UNWTO, the outbound tourism expenditure over imports of services in Indonesia in 2021 was at 1.8 percent. Until 2019, the share of outbound tourism expenditure over imports of services had been increasing year-on-year in Indonesia.

According to data from the UNWTO, the outbound tourism expenditure over current account debits in Indonesia in 2021 was at 0.2 percent. Until 2019, the share of outbound tourism expenditure had been increasing year-on-year in Indonesia.

In 2023, there were approximately 155,150 Taiwanese visitors that arrived in Indonesia. In comparison to the previous year, the number of visitors from Taiwan increased significantly that year, indicating a strong recovery in the tourism industry from the impact of the pandemic.

This statistic shows the number of outbound travel trips as a percentage of total number of households in Indonesia from 2013 to 2021. The outbound trips-to-households ratio in Indonesia was projected to grow from 10.8 percent in 2016 to 15.4 percent in 2021.

Outbound tourism from Australia in the 2024 financial year was predominantly to Indonesia, with over 1.3 million Australians making the trip. By comparison, just over 1.1 million Australian tourists visited New Zealand that same year, the previous number-one destination in the 2023 financial year, and about 639,000 took a trip to the United States. Australians venturing overseas Up until the 2019 financial year, there was a consistent, significant year-on-year increase in the number of overseas departures of Australian residents, with more than 9.9 million traveling outside the country during the financial year 2019. This number decreased greatly in 2021 to just over 200,000, largely due to travel restrictions, with overseas departures slightly recovering in 2022. Expenditure on overseas trips Australians visiting the United States in the 2024 financial year spent over 8.9 billion Australian dollars, making it the overseas destination where Australians had the highest expenditure. Although Indonesia was the most popular outbound destination for Australians in the financial year 2024, visitor spending in Indonesia reached only around six billion Australian dollars in comparison.

According to data from the UNWTO, the inbound tourism expenditure for passenger transport in Indonesia was approximately 317 million U.S. dollars in 2022. Tourism is one of Indonesia's biggest industries and certain local economies, such as Bali, were heavily dependent on this sector.

In 2017, 52 percent of outbound travels made by Indonesians were for leisure, compared to 37 percent for business travel. In that year, Indonesians made around 8.9 million outbound departures, and spent around 8.3 billion U.S. dollars during their outbound travels.

According to data from the UNWTO, about 1.55 million overnight visitors came to Indonesia in 2021. Overnight visitors made up the majority of inbound arrivals to Indonesia. This was the lowest number of overnight inbound tourists recorded in the country over the past decade.

According to data from the UNWTO, the tourism balance over GDP in Indonesia was at 0.1 percent in 2020. Tourism balance was calculated as the inbound tourism expenditure minus the outbound tourism expenditure.

According to data from the UNWTO, the inbound visitor expenditure in Indonesia for personal travel purposes was approximately 460 million U.S. dollars in 2021. Travel and tourism is one of Indonesia's biggest industries, and certain local economies such as Bali were heavily dependent on this sector.

According to data from the UNWTO, the inbound tourism expenditure over exports of services in Indonesia was at about 3.9 percent in 2021. This was a decrease of 20.1 percent from the previous year.

China has become one of the driving forces in the global outbound tourism industry. In 2019, the number of outbound tourists from China reached nearly 155 million, almost three times as many as in 2010. However, the number of outbound tourists from China dropped to around 20.3 million in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was estimated that more than 87 million Chinese travelers went abroad in 2023 after border restrictions were removed, and the revenue of the Chinese tourism industry accounted for nearly eight percent of the GDP.

Tourism boost during Chinese New Year

Outbound tourism in China surged during the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, with Chinese tourists embarking on approximately 3.6 million overseas trips from February 10 to February 17. This uptick in tourism signifies the resurgence of the Spring Festival holidays as a peak season for global travel. Alipay revealed that its users' spending overseas during this period reached 107 percent of the 2019 level, demonstrating a substantial increase of 140 percent from 2023.

Driving Asia Pacific’s travel boom

Asia Pacific’s travel sector has recently experienced robust growth, with flight demand projected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, largely due to an increase in Chinese tourists. The visa-free policy introduced by several Southeast Asian countries to attract more visitors from China is a major contributor to this trend. The top destinations for Chinese tourists during the New Year holiday included Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

According to data from the UNWTO, the inbound visitor expenditure in Indonesia for business and professional purposes was approximately 58 million U.S. dollars in 2021, reaching its lowest point in the last decade. Travel and tourism is one of Indonesia's biggest industries, and certain local economies such as Bali were heavily dependent on this sector.

The statistic illustrates the number of visitors from Indonesia to the Netherlands from 2007 to 2016. As of 2016, there were approximately 60,000 visitors from Indonesia.

According to data from the UNWTO, the inbound tourism expenditure over exports of goods in Indonesia was at 0.2 percent in 2021. Until 2019, the share of inbound tourism expenditure had been increasing year-on-year in Indonesia.

According to data from the UNWTO, in 2022, about 595,000 visitors came to Indonesia for business and professional purposes. The number of international visitors for such purposes to Indonesia experienced a drop in that year.