International tourist arrivals reached 1.09 million visits, increasing year-on-year despite a monthly decline
Domestic travel surged to 126.34 million trips, marking strong growth across provinces
Hotel occupancy rates improved annually, with notable gains in star-rated accommodations
Indonesia’s tourism sector recorded notable developments in March 2026, according to the latest report published by Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) in its “Tourism Development Report March 2026” released on May 4, 2026. The report outlines movements in international and domestic travel, outbound tourism, and hotel occupancy rates, providing a comprehensive overview of tourism performance during the period.
International tourist arrivals to Indonesia reached 1.09 million visits in March 2026. This figure represents a decline of 6.17 percent compared to February 2026, but an increase of 10.50 percent compared to March 2025. Cumulatively, from January to March 2026, total international arrivals reached 3.44 million visits, reflecting an 8.62 percent increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
The report indicates that international arrivals showed a gradual decline over the first quarter of 2026, decreasing from 1.19 million visits in January to 1.16 million in February, and further to 1.09 million in March. In terms of origin, the majority of visitors in March 2026 came from Malaysia, accounting for 17.14 percent of total arrivals, followed by Australia at 12.01 percent and Singapore at 9.45 percent.
In terms of entry points, 930.50 thousand international visitors entered through main gateways, while 157.67 thousand arrived through border crossings. Air transport remained the dominant mode, accounting for 77.04 percent of arrivals via main entry points. Sea transport contributed 18.74 percent, and land transport accounted for 4.22 percent.
Air arrivals reached 716.82 thousand visits in March 2026, increasing 7.07 percent year-on-year but declining 8.41 percent month-on-month. Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali and Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Banten accounted for 86.85 percent of air arrivals, totaling 622.52 thousand visits. Meanwhile, sea arrivals reached 174.39 thousand visits, rising 20.12 percent year-on-year but decreasing 5.53 percent compared to February 2026. Land arrivals totaled 39.29 thousand visits, increasing both year-on-year by 49.00 percent and month-on-month by 12.78 percent.
By nationality group, most regions recorded year-on-year growth in March 2026, with Oceania showing the highest increase at 19.32 percent, followed by ASEAN at 18.84 percent and other Asian countries at 8.03 percent. Conversely, visitors from the Middle East and Europe declined by 9.51 percent and 8.50 percent, respectively. On a monthly basis, most regions experienced declines, with the largest drop recorded in non-ASEAN Asia at 24.53 percent.
The average length of stay for international tourists in March 2026 reached 11.14 nights. Visitors from the Middle East recorded the longest average stay at 21.96 nights, while ASEAN visitors had the shortest average at 5.47 nights. In terms of individual nationalities, visitors from Yemen recorded the longest stays at 50.29 nights, while visitors from Timor-Leste had the shortest stays at approximately 1.94 nights.
Domestic tourism activity showed substantial growth during the same period. The number of domestic tourist trips reached 126.34 million in March 2026, increasing 38.63 percent compared to February 2026 and 42.10 percent compared to March 2025. From January to March 2026, cumulative domestic trips totaled 319.51 million, up 13.14 percent compared to the same period in 2025.
Regionally, domestic travel was dominated by movements within Java Island, which accounted for 65.11 percent of total domestic trips. Based on origin, West Java recorded the highest number of domestic travelers at 24.49 million trips, contributing 19.39 percent of total domestic travel. East Java and Central Java followed with 19.36 million and 15.47 million trips, respectively.
All provinces recorded year-on-year growth in domestic travel. The highest growth was observed in West Kalimantan at 91.66 percent, followed by Riau at 82.81 percent, Bengkulu at 77.41 percent, and Jambi at 74.27 percent. In contrast, Central Papua recorded the lowest growth at 8.22 percent. Month-on-month, all provinces also experienced increases, with Riau showing the highest growth at 58.80 percent.
In terms of travel destinations, Java Island remained the primary destination, accounting for 82.22 million trips or 65.08 percent of total domestic travel. West Java, East Java, and Central Java were the most visited provinces, followed by Jakarta, Banten, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and Yogyakarta.
Outbound tourism also recorded growth in March 2026. The number of Indonesian residents traveling abroad reached 793.16 thousand trips, increasing 13.14 percent compared to February 2026 and 36.26 percent compared to March 2025. From January to March 2026, outbound travel reached 2.50 million trips, reflecting a 7.27 percent increase year-on-year.
Most outbound travelers returned through main entry points, with 787.67 thousand arrivals, while 5.48 thousand entered through border crossings. Air transport remained the dominant mode of return, accounting for 620.68 thousand trips, followed by sea transport at 131.68 thousand and land transport at 35.32 thousand trips.
Malaysia remained the top destination for outbound Indonesian travelers in March 2026, accounting for 29.73 percent of total trips. Other key destinations included Saudi Arabia and Singapore, each contributing 13.79 percent, followed by China, Japan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Australia, Vietnam, and South Korea.
Hotel occupancy rates also showed annual improvements. The overall occupancy rate reached 33.28 percent in March 2026, increasing 5.76 percentage points compared to March 2025, although slightly declining by 0.28 percentage points from February 2026. Star-rated hotels recorded an occupancy rate of 42.78 percent, up 9.22 percentage points year-on-year but down 2.11 percentage points month-on-month.
Regionally, the highest occupancy rate for star-rated hotels was recorded in West Kalimantan at 55.78 percent, followed by Bali at 52.54 percent and South Papua at 47.76 percent. The lowest rates were recorded in Papua Highlands, West Sulawesi, and Aceh. Non-star hotels and other accommodations recorded an occupancy rate of 23.47 percent, increasing both year-on-year and month-on-month.
The report also highlights changes in tourist spending patterns during the first quarter of 2026. Average spending per international visitor reached USD 1,345.61, with the largest share allocated to accommodation at 37.23 percent, followed by food and beverages at 20.17 percent.