Homecoming While Traveling, Indonesians Prefer Vacation to the Beach

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) conducted a survey to find out the preferences of tourists during this year’s Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The survey showed that most tourists want to go to the beach for their holiday. It also showed that 92 percent of the people who travel for Eid al-Fitr will also do some sightseeing.

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, said that the survey was done from March 31 to April 14, 2023, with 832 respondents. He said that most people will use private cars or motorcycles to travel for Eid al-Fitr this year.

“Private cars are used by 22% of the travelers, followed by motorcycles with 20.3%. Then buses with 18.39% and long-distance trains with 11.69%. These are the top four modes of transportation and we need to focus on them and make sure they can travel safely for Eid al-Fitr,” said Sandiaga Uno in his Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno on Monday (18/4).

According to the data from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, 77.6% of the respondents said they would travel back and forth during the 2023 Eid al-Fitr holiday and 92% of them would do some sightseeing. About 63.4% of them planned their vacation for less than a month, while the rest planned for more than a month.

“Where are they going? Beaches, lakes and seas are the most popular destinations with 64%, followed by culinary centers with 54%, mountains or agrotourism with 51%, recreational parks with 36% and tourist villages with almost 30%,” said Sandiaga.

The beach is the main attraction for people in Eid 2023. Indonesia has many beaches in different islands such as Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java. These beaches are expected to be crowded with local tourists during this year’s long Eid holiday.

“There are many beaches to choose from, not only Ancol in Jakarta, but also beaches in the south of Java Island like Pangandaran, Carita, Anyer, and beaches in Sumatra and Bali. Some of the favorite beaches are Pahawang Beach in Lampung, Tanjung Bira and Selayar beaches in Sulawesi, and Air Manis Beach in Padang,” he said.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy did a field survey in several regions such as Central Java, Cirebon, Makassar, Lampung, and Padang. These regions are the main destinations for people who travel for Eid 2023.

“Our survey showed that the top five regions for travel during Eid 2023 are East Java with 17.1%, Central Java with 15.1% and Jabodetabek with 14.8%. The top five destinations for travel are Central Java, East Java and some other regions,” said Sandiaga.

He said that the number of people who travel for Eid 2023 will increase by 44.2 percent compared to 2022. This is because of the longer holiday duration and the relaxation of travel restriction policies.

“In 2023, we predict that more people will travel for Eid 2023 than in 2022. This is in line with our strategy of giving more holidays and easing the travel restrictions,” said the former deputy governor of DKI Jakarta.