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INDONESIA’s tourism sector shows positive growth and strong resilience until September 2026, reflected in various main indicators of national tourism, ranging from increasing tourist visits and spending to the success of holding world-class events that have an economic impact on society.
“In the midst of various global dynamics and domestic challenges, the tourism sector continues to grow, improve in quality, and make a real contribution to the national economy,” said Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana when delivering the Ministry of Tourism’s Monthly Performance Report in Jakarta, Sunday (11/08), 2026.
The Minister of Tourism said that cumulatively from January to September 2026, foreign tourist visits reached 12.01 million visits, growing 5.01% compared to the same period the previous year.
In September 2026, foreign tourist arrivals were recorded at 1.43 million, an increase of 2.31% compared to September 2025. This achievement was achieved even though the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in early September disrupted flights at eight airports and affected the travel of more than 454 thousand passengers. Through rapid mitigation, the impact of this disturbance was minimized.
In the midst of global geopolitical dynamics that still influence international travel, market diversification strategies are showing encouraging results. The Middle East market continued to grow positively at 2.33%, while the European market still experienced a contraction of 4.27%. Visits from other Asian regions grew 9.51%, Oceania 7.51%, and Southeast Asia 5.81%.
The growth of Indonesian tourism is not only reflected in the number of visits, but also the quality. The average expenditure of foreign tourists per visit or Average Spending per Arrival (ASPA) in the third quarter of 2026 reached US$1,374 or the equivalent of IDR23.52 million, an increase of 5.95% compared to the previous year.
Cumulatively from January to September 2026, ASPA reached US$1,336 or the equivalent of IDR22.36 million, growing 6.18%. This increase indicates the greater economic value generated from each foreign tourist visit to Indonesia.
Meanwhile, cumulative domestic tourist trips from January to September 2026 reached 938.84 million trips, an increase of 4.1% compared to the same period the previous year. Specifically for September, 96.69 million trips were recorded, growing 2.47% compared to September 2025.
“This figure shows that the domestic market remains the main force of Indonesian tourism,” said Widiyanti.
The high movement of tourists also increased the Room Occupancy Rate of star hotels in September 2026 to 51.78%, an increase of 1.62 percentage points compared to the previous year. Cumulatively from January to September 2026, the occupancy rate reached 49.81%, an increase of 2.23 percentage points compared to the same period in 2025.
“This series of growth has helped drive various business sectors, from accommodation, culinary, transportation, to creative industries and MSMEs. This is also important for Indonesia to maintain momentum while strengthening tourism competitiveness amidst global uncertainty,” she stated.
Based on the latest data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the Indonesian economy in the third quarter of 2026 grew 5.47% compared to the same period the previous year. A number of sectors closely related to tourism showed high growth, especially accommodation and food and beverages which reached 11.22%.
This growth was followed by other services sectors at 8.32%, transportation and warehousing at 8.03%, and corporate services at 6.77%. These four business fields collectively contributed 1.07 percentage points to national economic growth.
Based on Ministry of Tourism estimates, the tourism sector as a whole contributes around 4.03% to the national gross domestic product (GDP) until the third quarter of 2026.
“This achievement confirms that tourism not only continues to grow, but also plays an important role in driving the economy, creating business opportunities, and providing real benefits for communities in various destinations,” concluded the Minister of Tourism. [traveltext.id]
