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INDONESIAN tourists have different habits in the midst of the new normal which has entered its second year. The following is a sundry from the preferred holiday destinations to the habits of domestic travelers throughout 2021.
Domestic tourism is a mainstay
Based on data from the Association of Travel Companies, travel bookings from domestic tourists reached 40% of normal conditions, up to double the condition before the easing policy. Domestic or domestic travel is a mainstay and tourism trend during 2021.
Apart from the fact that people now have more opportunities to explore their own country, this phenomenon is driven by the focus on developing the quality of tourist destinations, including international events such as World Superbike in Mandalika and G20 in Bali. In addition, tourist villages around the event are also being developed so that tourists have many choices of places to travel.
Favorite destination
Quoted from internal data from the Pegipegi booking platform, there are five destinations that are consumer favorites, namely Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Makassar and Bali. Secluded places are also preferred because travelers feel safe considering there are no crowds.
For those traveling with limited funds, Bali is one of the places with the cheapest hotel rooms followed by Solo, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Semarang with an average daily price of 1-to-3-star hotels between IDR170,197 to IDR218,627 per night.
The Puncak Bogor area is the highest budget hotel destination compared to the 5 cities above at a price of around IDR336,000 per night. Meanwhile, people who choose to spend time in the city where they live are generally looking for a new atmosphere by means of a staycation, vacation in a hotel with complete facilities, or visiting an area not far from home. Based on an Agoda survey, more and more tourists consider hotels to be their new tourist destinations during the pandemic.
Longer vacation duration
“During the pandemic, the frequency of people traveling has decreased, but on the other hand, the duration of staying somewhere has become longer,” said the Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, Nia Niscaya, in a webinar last November. People can spend time somewhere up to more than a week.
Security and flexibility are superior
Ticket prices or cheap stays are no longer a major concern. Tourists are now asking about safety, comfort and health. That is why various online travel agencies are competing to make features to choose accommodations that are guaranteed clean standards, so that consumers can easily choose accommodations that are truly safe, comfortable and implement health protocols.
This was also emphasized by the Deputy for Marketing of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Nia Niscaya, that ticket prices are no longer a major concern. People are more comfortable traveling if health protocols are strictly implemented.
Nia said tourists also now prefer to travel with people with known medical history, such as family or friends. The ease of rescheduling and refunding if the ticket is canceled is also a big consideration considering the situation often changes in a short period of time. [antaranews/photo special]
