November 24, 2025 | 11:29 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The travel interests of both Indonesian and international tourists are demonstrating diverse yet clear patterns, according to SiteMinder's Changing Traveller Report 2026. The key trend is that Japan remains the favorite international destination for Indonesian travelers, while Bali is the top choice for foreign tourists visiting Indonesia.
The SiteMinder report is the world's largest consumer research on the accommodation industry, involving 12,000 travelers from 14 countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, China, France, India, Spain, the UK, and the USA.
Indonesian Traveler Preferences
Nearly half of the Indonesian population plans to travel, both domestically and internationally, in 2026.
Top International Destinations
Indonesia's international travel choices are heavily dominated by East and Southeast Asian countries.
Japan leads the list, with 45 percent of Indonesian tourists planning a visit. Within Japan, Tokyo (40 percent) is the most desired city, followed by Osaka (24 percent) and Kyoto (20 percent). Other highly desired Asian cities include Singapore (23 percent) and Seoul (23 percent).
Following Japan, Singapore ranks second with 28 percent, succeeded by South Korea (25 percent), Malaysia (19 percent), Saudi Arabia (18 percent), Australia (18 percent), China (17 percent), Thailand (12 percent), the USA (12 percent), and New Zealand (11 percent).
Top Domestic Destinations
For domestic travel, Java Island is the primary choice, selected by 69 percent of respondents. This is followed by Sumatra (27 percent), and Bali and the Nusa Tenggara Islands (26 percent).
Indonesia as an International Hub
Indonesia remains a critical destination for foreign tourists, particularly those from Australia and Singapore.
Australian Tourists: Indonesia ranks seventh in the top ten major destinations for Australian tourists in 2026. Specifically, 6% of Australian respondents chose Bali as their main destination. Australia's list is dominated by Japan, New Zealand, the UK, Italy, the USA, and Fiji.
Singaporean Tourists: Indonesia holds a strategic position, ranking eighth, with 11 percent of Singaporean respondents planning a visit in 2026. This trend confirms that regional travel remains a major focus in the area for Singaporean tourists, whose other preferred countries are largely in Asia (Japan, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan).
A consistent trend confirms that Indonesian travelers are among the most family-oriented globally, similar to Singaporeans: half of Indonesian tourists (51 percent) will travel with family.
Annisa Nur Alimah contributed to the report
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