This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) This articlemay requirecopy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist byediting it.(September 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This articleis written like atravel guide. Please helprewrite it in aneutral,encyclopedic style or move its content toWikivoyage.(September 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Tourism in Indonesia is an important component of theIndonesian economy as well as a significant source of itsforeign exchange revenues.Indonesia was ranked at 20th in the world tourist industry in 2017, also ranked as the ninth-fastest growing tourist sector in the world, the third-fastest growing inAsia and fastest-growing inSoutheast Asia.^[1] In 2018,Denpasar,Jakarta andBatam are among the 10 cities in the world with fastest growth in tourism, 32.7, 29.2 and 23.3 percent respectively.^[2] The tourism sector ranked as the 4th largest among goods and services export sectors.^[3]

In 2019, Indonesia recorded 16.10 million foreign tourist arrivals, seeing a 1.9% per cent increase than that of 2018.^[4] In 2015, 9.73 million international visitors entered Indonesia, staying in hotels for an average of 7.5 nights and spending an average of US$1,142 per person during their visit, or US$152.22 per person per day.^[5] Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, and Japan are the top five sources of visitors to Indonesia.

TheTravel and Tourism Development Index 2024 ranks Indonesia 22nd out of 119 countries overall with Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index score of 4.46.^[6] This is a significant improvement for Indonesian tourism sector. Previously in 2019 Indonesia ranks 40th out of 140 countries overall with index score of 4.3.^[7][8] It is a two steps improvement from Indonesia's 2017 position of 42nd out of 136 countries overall with index score of 4.2.^[9][10] The 2015 report ranks the price competitiveness of Indonesia's tourism sector the 3rd out of 141 countries. It mentions that Indonesia has quite good travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions (ranked 9th). The country also scores quite good on natural and cultural resources (ranked 17th). However, the country scored rather low in infrastructure sub-index (ranked 75th), as some aspects of tourist service infrastructure are underdeveloped.^[11]

In 2016, the government was reported to be investing more in tourism development by attracting more foreign investors. The government has given priority to 10 destinations as follows:Borobudur,Central Java;Mandalika,West Nusa Tenggara;Labuan Bajo,East Nusa Tenggara;Bromo-Tengger-Semeru,East Java;Thousand Islands,Jakarta;Lake Toba,North Sumatra;Wakatobi,Southeast Sulawesi;Tanjung Lesung,Banten;Morotai,North Maluku; and Tanjung Kelayang,Bangka Belitung Islands. As quoted inThe Jakarta Post, the government is aiming for 275 million trips by domestic tourists by end of 2019.^[12] The government has also secured commitments from potential investors, totalling US$70 million in the areas of building accommodation, marina and ecotourism facilities in 3 of the 10 areas.^[12] Indonesia is ranked at seventh place in the list ofLonely Planet's top 10 countries to visit in 2019.^[13][14] The country ranks fourth out of the top 25 destinations in the world in 2018 by travel siteTripAdvisor.^[15]

Indonesia's tourism industry is benefitted by a tropical climate, a vastarchipelago of 17,508 islands, 6,000 of them being inhabited,^[18] and the second longest shoreline in the world (54,716 km) after Canada.^[19] It is the world's largest and most populous country situated only on islands.^[20] The beaches inBali, diving sites inBunaken,Mount Bromo inEast Java,Lake Toba and various national parks inSumatra are popular scenic destinations.^[21] Indonesia has a rich cultural diversity, with 719 livinglanguages used across the archipelago.^[22] The ancientPrambanan andBorobudur temples,Toraja,Yogyakarta,Minangkabau, and of courseBali, with its many Hindu festivities, are some of the popular destinations for cultural tourism.

Indonesia is a member ofPATA and was the host of its annual conference in 1963 and 1974 in Jakarta, and in 2003 inBali. Indonesia also was the host of PATA Travel Mart in 1985 and 1989 in Bali, and 2016 in Jakarta.

Tourism in Indonesia is currently overseen by theIndonesian Ministry of Tourism.^[23]International tourism campaigns have been focusing largely on its tropical destinations with white sand beaches, blue sky, and cultural attractions. Beach resorts and hotels have been developed in some popular tourist destinations, especially Bali island as the primary destination.^{[citation needed]} At the same time, the integration of cultural affairs and tourism under the scope of the same ministry shows that cultural tourism is considered an integral part of Indonesia's tourism industry, and conversely, that tourism is used to promote and preserve the cultural heritage.^{[citation needed]}

Some of the challenges Indonesia's tourism industry has to face include the development of infrastructure to support tourism across the sprawling archipelago, incursions of the industry into local traditions (adat), and the impact of tourism development on the life of local people. The tourism industry in Indonesia has also faced setbacks due to problems related to security. Since 2002, warnings have been issued by some countries over terrorist threats and ethnic as well as religious conflicts in some areas, significantly reducing the number of foreign visitors for a few years. However, the number of international tourists has bounced back positively since 2007, and reached a new record in 2008^[24][25] and kept rising since then.^[26]

The 2019Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranks Indonesia 40th out of 140 countries overall with a score of 4.3.^[27] It lists the price competitiveness of Indonesia's tourism sector the sixth out of 140 countries. The report states that Indonesia scores well on visa policy (#3) and international openness (#16), as well as on natural (#17) and cultural resources (#24). However, Indonesia has a low score in infrastructure (#98), as some aspects of tourist service infrastructure are underdeveloped.^[27] Other aspects that need to be improved include health and hygiene, environmental sustainability, and affinity for travel and tourism.

Indonesia seems to have been a travel destination for centuries. Some panels inBorobudur bas-reliefs depicted drink vendors,warungs (small restaurants), tavern or lodgings where people were drinking and dancing. The historical record of travel in Indonesia can be found since the 14th century.^[28] TheNagarakretagama reported thatKing Hayam Wuruk's royal travel throughoutMajapahit realm inEast Java had large numbers of carriages, accompanied by nobles, royal courtiers, officials and servants.^[28] Although it seems like a stately affair, in some instances the king's trip somewhat resembles a modern-day tour, as the king visited multiple modern tourism sites; from temples such asPalah andJajawa, to enjoy the mountain scenery, having a bath inpetirtaan (bathing pools) and going to the beach. The 15th-century travelogue ofBujangga Manik, a travelling Hindu scholar-priest fromPakuan Pajajaran, reported about his travel around Java and Bali. Although his travel was a pilgrimage one; visiting temples and sacred places in Java and Bali, sometimes he behaves like a modern-day tourist, such as sitting around fanning his body while enjoying beautiful mountain scenery inPuncak area, looking atGede volcano that he describes as the highest point around Pakuan Pajajaran (capital ofSunda kingdom).^[29]

Initially the tourism, service and hospitality sector inDutch East Indies were developed to cater the lodging, entertainment and leisure needs of domestic visitors, especially the wealthy Dutch plantation owners and merchants during their stay in the city. In the 19th century, colonial heritage hotels equipped with dance halls, live music and fine dining restaurants were established in Dutch East Indies urban areas, such asHotel des Indes (est. 1829) in Batavia (now Jakarta),Savoy Homann Hotel (est. 1871) in Bandung,Hotel Oranje (est. 1910) in Surabaya, and Hotel De Boer in Medan. Since the 19th century Dutch East Indies has attracted visitors from The Netherlands.^[28] The first national tourism bureau was theVereeniging Toeristen Verkeer, established by Governor-General of Dutch East Indies in early 20th century, and shared their head office in Batavia withKoninklijke Nederlansch Indische Luchtfahrt Maatschapijj orKNILM (which is not aKLM subsidiary despite the similar name) that began to fly from Amsterdam to Batavia in 1929.^[28] In 1913,Vereeneging Touristen Verkeer wrote a guide book about tourism places in the Indies. Since thenBali become known to international tourist with foreign tourist arrivals rose for more than 100% in 1927.^[28] Much of the international tourism of the 1920s and 1930s was by international visitors on oceanic cruises. The 1930s did see a modest but significant influx of mainly European tourists and long term stayers to Bali. Many came for the blossoming arts scene in theUbud area, which was as much a two-way exchange between the Balinese and outsiders as it was an internal phenomenon.^[30]

Tourism more or less disappeared duringWorld War II,Indonesian National Revolution and in the early years of theSukarno era. On 1 July 1947, the government of Republic of Indonesia tried to revive tourism sector in Indonesia by establishing HONET (Hotel National & Tourism) led by R. Tjitpo Ruslan. This new national tourism authority took over many of the colonial heritage hotels in Java and renamed them all "Hotel Merdeka". AfterDutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference in 1949, this tourism authority changed its name to NV HORNET.^[28] In 1952 the President formed the Inter-Departement 4 on Tourism Affairs which is responsible for reestablishing Indonesia as the world's tourism destination.^[31]

National pride and identity in the late 1950s and early 1960s was incorporated into the monumentalism of Sukarno inJakarta — and this included the development of grand multi-storied international standard hotels and beach resorts, such asHotel Indonesia in Jakarta (est. 1962),Ambarrukmo Hotel in Yogyakarta (est. 1965), Samudra Beach Hotel in Pelabuhan Ratu beach West Java (est. 1966), and Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel in Bali (est. 1966). The political and economic instability of the mid-1960s saw tourism decline radically again. Bali, and in particular the small village ofKuta, was, however, in the 1960s, an importantstopover on the overland hippy trail between Australia and Europe, and a "secret" untouched surf spot.^[32]To stimulate tourism sector, Indonesia becomes a member ofPATA in the early 1960s and appointed as the host of PATA annual conference in 1963 and 1974 in Jakarta, and 2003 in Bali. To host the 1974 PATA conference, theHotel Borobudur was built and named as the official hotel of this event. At that time, it was the largest and the most luxurious hotel in Jakarta.^{[citation needed]}

In the early-to-mid-1970s, high standard hotels and tourist facilities began to appear in Jakarta and Bali. After the completion ofBorobudur restoration project in 1982,Yogyakarta became a popular tourist destination in Indonesia after Bali, mostly attracted to this 8th-century Buddhist monument, surrounding ancient Javanese temples andYogyakarta Sultanatepalace. From this period to the end of theSuharto era, governmental policies of thetourism industry included an array of regulations and developments to encourage increasing numbers of international tourists to both visit Indonesia and stay longer.

Yearly tourist arrivals in millions^[33][34]

Source: Statistics Indonesia^[35][36]

Country	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
Malaysia	2,639,749	2,278,281	1,901,242	1,212,574	480,723	980,118	2,980,753	2,503,344	1,238,276
Australia	1,754,791	1,671,222	1,431,177	655,370	3,196	256,291	1,386,803	1,301,478	1,188,449
Singapore	1,526,438	1,408,015	1,414,447	736,797	18,704	280,492	1,934,445	1,768,744	1,512,813
China	1,344,074	1,198,582	787,924	169,378	54,713	239,768	2,072,079	2,139,161	1,972,405
Timor-Leste	1,009,181	776,294	728,586	703,780	819,488	994,590	1,178,381	1,762,442	960,026
India	734,490	710,688	606,439	281,814	6,670	111,724	657,300	595,636	485,314
South Korea	496,862	436,054	347,185	122,226	9,497	75,562	388,316	358,885	378,769
United Kingdom	412,902	392,133	335,209	170,881	5,177	69,997	397,624	392,112	361,197
United States	412,115	418,196	392,310	188,764	21,962	91,782	457,832	387,856	331,132
Japan	380,079	338,934	251,866	73,913	5,952	92,228	519,623	530,573	538,334
France	367,904	346,337	273,682	134,541	3,776	43,438	283,814	287,917	268,989
Germany	287,596	281,397	263,534	128,634	3,429	46,361	277,653	274,166	260,586
Netherlands	251,941	314,211	250,201	115,052	12,229	53,495	215,287	209,978	205,844
Philippines	246,728	239,714	209,458	78,436	9,375	50,413	260,980	217,874	162,726
Russia	219,162	180,215	161,323	75,578	8,392	67,491	158,943	125,728	110,529
Taiwan	204,704	183,341	155,150	25,750	1,398	35,680	207,490	208,317	211,489
New Zealand	181,081	159,229	116,603	44,125	482	19,947	149,010	128,366	106,914
Saudi Arabia	156,318	135,643	107,684	47,472	2,053	31,906	157,512	165,912	166,111
Papua New Guinea	156,138	124,492	76,471	22,509	31,703	20,975	78,433	142,648	141,299
Italy	146,360	131,149	104,393	47,415	2,339	13,260	91,229	94,288	90,022
Spain	140,245	142,247	106,581	51,563	3,255	11,829	83,373	85,560	81,690
Hong Kong	131,140	56,302	13,885	7,086	2,432	2,625	50,324	91,182	98,272
Thailand	112,137	119,664	111,786	61,128	3,992	21,303	136,699	124,153	106,510
Canada	97,558	87,889	83,696	36,042	1,242	23,200	103,616	97,908	96,139
Vietnam	87,398	106,630	121,879	68,067	2,008	19,608	96,024	75,816	77,466
Poland	68,100	53,907	41,988	18,401	752	9,055	41,637	31,437	32,704
Turkey	66,902	50,051	30,433	14,424	1,122	6,038	23,883	20,861	34,433
Switzerland	60,616	58,205	48,459	23,192	782	8,362	57,484	60,293	61,191
Myanmar	57,147	49,255	40,920	22,637	3,093	12,669	46,381	28,612	48,133
Belgium	55,493	52,826	42,888	21,120	798	5,902	46,780	50,050	48,477
Denmark	44,309	42,141	39,555	20,913	557	10,533	45,090	46,825	43,721
Portugal	41,193	37,350	32,029	14,393	476	6,245	35,434	36,804	33,223
Ireland	39,607	38,676	34,466	16,003	291	5,167	28,602	28,742	29,400
Sweden	38,719	40,297	37,481	19,885	3,516	17,600	56,402	50,381	51,417
South Africa	36,548	33,135	31,872	13,267	572	15,142	47,657	41,962	38,073
Pakistan	36,348	23,150	14,264	5,247	974	4,110	14,663	13,448	11,424
Brazil	34,497	32,031	29,497	14,855	952	5,945	30,232	26,503	32,403
Austria	34,095	39,041	34,984	17,708	2,103	4,858	28,476	29,492	27,208
Brunei	31,797	19,796	13,518	4,798	144	2,701	19,278	17,279	23,455
Ukraine	30,688	27,672	22,204	11,428	3,044	16,491	35,537	26,697	32,964
Czech Republic	27,209	22,741	18,388	7,607	496	6,178	23,941	22,848	20,125
Romania	27,191	27,030	25,031	9,896	510	4,320	18,650	14,092	18,787
Kazakhstan	24,424	19,403	8,198	2,282	378	3,735	9,781	7,955	7,219
Norway	23,721	22,170	19,577	10,069	336	5,072	23,886	24,906	22,838
Egypt	22,030	19,719	16,832	7,326	611	4,337	21,354	18,075	20,345
Hungary	21,042	19,234	16,689	6,384	218	3,664	14,218	13,434	12,600
Bangladesh	19,329	12,674	9,373	9,593	1,001	12,866	59,777	56,564	56,503
Morocco	17,382	16,771	11,241	3,663	182	1,707	11,371	7,920	11,122
Mexico	16,725	16,244	14,341	5,092	135	2,375	13,663	12,418	11,497
Oman	16,663	13,655	9,315	2,980	89	3,612	24,051	25,704	18,615
Colombia	16,045	14,669	14,572	3,992	96	1,324	6,304	5,445	5,051
Nepal	15,836	9,660	5,897	2,225	61	3,918	18,977	14,968	12,821
Finland	14,382	14,859	12,345	5,480	240	6,376	22,665	27,127	24,447
Argentina	13,214	11,771	10,322	3,528	114	3,066	9,994	11,468	15,280
Greece	13,029	11,356	9,531	5,324	385	2,047	9,705	7,713	9,896
Sri Lanka	12,998	10,178	7,393	3,447	620	4,300	28,907	32,508	35,669
Slovakia	11,910	9,147	7,503	3,046	152	2,203	9,359	9,058	9,264
United Arab Emirates	11,293	9,120	8,537	5,456	384	1,093	9,065	7,100	8,387
Tunisia	11,216	10,424	8,563	3,170	75	645	4,335	3,867	6,922
Cambodia	10,949	10,497	12,611	4,945	228	2,227	13,843	8,875	6,506
Chile	10,712	10,690	9,170	2,330	91	2,615	10,029	11,008	10,049
Uzbekistan	10,480	8,130	5,283	1,393	68	1,586	3,756	3,548	4,057
Belarus	10,455	8,953	7,700	3,276	617	3,092	6,644	4,821	4,576
Bulgaria	10,303	9,631	7,233	2,488	211	2,575	7,652	8,405	8,695
Lithuania	9,816	8,794	9,436	4,091	204	3,038	9,180	8,497	8,550
Mongolia	9,708	4,850	2,323	706	12	1,483	4,260	3,679	2,414
Jordan	9,466	7,632	6,140	2,516	167	1,027	6,571	6,228	6,773
Iran	9,438	9,230	7,177	3,073	300	1,354	10,440	11,415	16,301
Yemen	7,761	6,739	5,936	3,208	758	2,094	9,221	10,008	8,453
Algeria	7,453	5,316	2,990	915	89	792	5,000	4,214	4,341
Estonia	6,744	6,114	5,757	2,124	230	3,099	6,644	7,719	7,569
Slovenia	6,632	6,602	3,987	1,347	66	986	4,747	4,472	5,264
Kenya	6,098	4,308	2,798	946	65	429	2,845	3,020	3,785
Iraq	5,679	4,956	2,820	1,180	127	817	2,933	2,356	2,167
Serbia	5,471	5,045	3,727	1,417	128	1,287	5,600	3,991	7,054
Latvia	5,406	5,125	5,959	2,478	329	1,860	5,278	4,213	3,932
Croatia	5,177	5,217	3,981	1,860	392	1,388	5,257	4,115	6,620
Lebanon	4,577	4,017	3,425	1,777	165	684	6,066	5,228	6,115
Total	15,386,646	13,902,420	11,677,825	5,889,031	1,557,530	4,052,923	16,106,954	15,810,305	14,039,799

The ten most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia recorded by Central Statistics Agency (BPS) areBali,West Java,Central Java,East Java,Jakarta,North Sumatra,Lampung,South Sulawesi,South Sumatra,Banten, andWest Sumatra (which would make it 11 provinces today due to Banten previously having been a part of West Java).^[41]

As with most countries, domestic tourists are by far the largest market segment. The biggest movement of domestic tourists is during the annualEid al-Fitr, locally known aslebaran. During this period, which is a two-week holiday after the month offasting during Ramadan, many city-dwellingMuslim Indonesians visit relatives in their home towns. Intercity traffic is at its peak and often an additional surcharge is applied during this time.

Over the five years up to 2006, attention has been focused on generating more domestic tourism. Competition amongstbudget airlines has increased the number of domestic air travellers throughout the country. Recently, the Ministry of Labour legislated to create long weekends by combiningpublic holidays that fall close to weekends, except in the case of important religious holidays. During these long weekends, most hotels in popular destinations are fully booked.

Since 2000, on average, there have been five million foreign tourists each year (see table), who spend an average ofUS$100 per day. With an average visit duration of 9–12 days, Indonesia gainsUS$4.6 billion of foreign exchange income annually.^[24] This makes tourism Indonesia's third most important non-oil–gas source of foreign revenue, aftertimber andtextile products.^[18]

After toppled Japan two years ago, China as the world's biggest tourism spenders now toppled Australia to become number three with 30.42 per cent increaseyear-on-year (y-o-y), while foreign tourists growth by 10.6 per cent y-o-y set to more than 2.9 million. The top countries of origin Q1 2014 data comes from theAsia-Pacific region, withSingapore (15.7 per cent),Malaysia (14.0), China (11.0), Australia, and Japan among the top countries of origin.^[42]

Around 59% of all visitors are travelling to Indonesia for holiday purposes, while 38% for business.^[43]

In 2012, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism made a total contribution of 8.9% of GDP and supported 8% of total employment in Indonesia.^[43]

Indonesia has a well-preserved, natural ecosystem withrainforests that stretch over about 57% of Indonesia's land (910,000 square kilometres or 225 million acres), approximately 2% of which aremangrove systems.^[44][45] One reason why thenatural ecosystem in Indonesia is still well-preserved is because only 6,000islands out of 17,000 are permanently inhabited.^[46] Forests onSumatra andJava are examples of popular tourist destinations. Moreover, Indonesia has one of longest coastlines in the world, measuring 54,716 kilometres (33,999 mi),^[47] with a number ofbeaches and island resorts, such as those in southernBali,Lombok,^[48]Bintan andNias Island.^[49] However, most of the well-preserved beaches are those in more isolated and less developed areas, such asKarimunjawa, theTogian Islands, and theBanda Islands.

With more than 17,508islands, Indonesia presents ample diving opportunities. With 20% of the world's coral reefs, over 3,000 different species of fish and 600 coral species, deep water trenches, volcanic sea mounts, World War II wrecks, and a very large variety ofmacro life, scuba diving in Indonesia is both excellent and relatively inexpensive.^[50]Bunaken National Marine Park, at the northern tip ofSulawesi, claims to have seven times more genera ofcoral thanHawaii,^[51] and has more than 70% of all the known fish species of theWestern Indo-Pacific.^[52] Moreover, there are over 3,500species^{[clarification needed]}living in Indonesian waters, includingsharks,dolphins,manta rays,turtles,morays,cuttlefish,octopus andscorpionfish, compared to 1,500 on theGreat Barrier Reef and 600 in theRed Sea.^[53]Tulamben Bay inBali has the wreck of the 120 metres (390 ft)US Army commissioned transport vessel, theLiberty.^[54] Other popular dive sites on Bali are atCandidasa andMenjangan. Across theBadung Strait from Bali, there are several popular dive sites onNusa Lembongan andNusa Penida.Lombok's threeGilis (Gili Air,Gili Meno andGili Trawangan) are popular, as isBangka.Saronde Island is a very popular spot also inGorontalo, Sulawesi. Some of the most famous diving sites in Indonesia are also the most difficult to reach, with places likeBiak off the coast of Papua and theAlor Archipelago among the popular, more remote, destinations for divers.

Surfing is also a popular water activity in Indonesia and the sites are recognised as world-class.^[55] The well-known locations are mostly located on the southern,Indian Ocean side of Indonesia, the largest breaks being on southernJava. The north coast does not receive the same surf from theJava Sea. Surf breaks can be found all the way alongSumatra, down to Nusa Tenggara, includingAceh, Bali,Banten, Java,Lombok, theMentawai Islands, andSumbawa. Although Indonesia has many world-class surfing spots, the majority of surfers come from abroad, especially Australia and the United States. Local enthusiasm for surfing began at Bali and West Java'sPelabuhan Ratu andPangandaran beaches, with most surfers arriving from nearby cities of Jakarta and Bandung.

In 2018,World Surf League had eight surfing events in Indonesia.^[56]

On Bali, there are about 33 surf locations, from West Bali to East Bali including four on the offshore island ofNusa Lembongan. In Sumbawa, Hu'u and Lakey Beach inCempi Bay are popular spots among surfing enthusiasts. Sumatra is the island, with the second greatest number of surf spots, with 18 altogether. High season for surfing is around May to September with the trade winds blowing from east to south-east. From October to April, winds tend to come from the west to north-west, so the east coast breaks get the offshore winds.^{[citation needed]}

Two well-known surf breaks in Indonesia are theG-Land in the Bay of Grajagan,East Java, andLagundri Bay at the southern end ofNias island. G-Land was first identified in 1972 when a surfer saw the break from the window of a plane. Since 6 to 8-foot (Hawaiian scale) waves were discovered by surfers at Lagundri Bay in 1975, the island has become famous for surfing worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Bogor Botanical Gardens established in 1817, andCibodas Botanical Gardens established in 1862, are two among the oldest botanical gardens in Asia. With rich collections of tropical plants, these gardens are the centre of botanical research as well as tourism attraction since the colonial era.^{[citation needed]}

There are 50 national parks in Indonesia, of which six areWorld Heritage listed. The largest national parks inSumatra are the 9,500-square-kilometre (3,700 sq mi)Gunung Leuser National Park, the 13,750-square-kilometre (5,310 sq mi)Kerinci Seblat National Park and the 3,568-square-kilometre (1,378 sq mi)Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, all three recognised asTropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Other national parks on the list areLorentz National Park inPapua,Komodo National Park in theLesser Sunda Islands, andUjung Kulon National Park in the west ofJava.

To be noticed, different national parks offer different biodiversity, as the natural habitat in Indonesia is divided into two areas by theWallace line. TheWallaceabiogeographical distinction means the western part of Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan) have the same flora and fauna characteristics as the Asian continent, whilst the remaining eastern part of Indonesia has similarity with the Australian continent.^[48]

Many native species such asSumatran elephants,Sumatran tigers,Sumatran rhinoceros,Javan rhinoceros andorangutans are listed asendangered orcritically endangered, and the remaining populations are found innational parks and other conservation areas.Sumatran orangutan can be visited in theBukit Lawang conservation area, while theBornean orangutan can be visited inTanjung Puting national park, Central Kalimantan. The world's largest flower,rafflesia arnoldi, and the tallest flower,titan arum, can be found in Sumatra.

The east side of the Wallacea line offers the most remarkable, rare, and exotic animals on earth.^[57]Birds-of-paradise, locally known ascendrawasih, are plumed birds that can be found among otherfauna in Papua New Guinea. The largest bird in Papua is the flightlesscassowary. One species oflizard, theKomodo dragon can easily be found onKomodo, located in the Nusa Tenggara lesser islands region. Besides Komodo island, this endangered species can also be found on the islands of Rinca, Padar and Flores.^[58]

Hiking andcamping in the mountains are popular adventure activities. Some mountains contain ridge rivers, offeringrafting activity. Thoughvolcanic mountains can be dangerous, they have become major tourist destinations. Several tourists have died on the slopes ofMount Rinjani, Indonesia's second-highest volcano and a popular destination for climbers visiting Lombok in eastern Indonesia. Popular active volcanoes are the 2,329-metre (7,641 ft) highMount Bromo in theEast Java province with its scenic volcanic desert around the crater, the upturned boat shapedTangkuban Perahu and the volcanic craterKawah Putih, north and south ofBandung respectively and both with drive-in access up to the crater, the most active volcano in Java,Mount Merapi nearYogyakarta, and the legendaryKrakatau with its newcaldera known asAnak Krakatau (the child of Krakatau).Gede Pangrango volcano in West Java is also a popular hiking destination, especially among domestic hikers.

InSumbawa,Mount Tambora with its historical massive volcanic eruption back in 1815 that produced massive caldera also had gained attention among hikers. In the neighbouring island ofFlores, the three-coloured volcanic crater-lake ofKelimutu is also hailed as one of Indonesia's natural wonder and had attracted visitors worldwide.Puncak Jaya in theLorentz National Park, the highest mountain in Indonesia and one of the few mountains withice caps at the (tropical) equator^[59][60] offers the opportunity ofrock climbing. In Sumatra, there are the remains of asupervolcanoeruption that have created the landscape ofLake Toba close toMedan inNorth Sumatra.

Indonesia consists of over 600ethnic groups,^[61] spread over a 1.8 million km² area of 6,000 inhabited islands.^[18] This creates a cultural diversity, further compounded byHindu,Buddhist,Islamic and European colonialist influences. InBali, where most of Indonesian Hindus live, cultural and religious festivals with Balinese dance-drama performances inBalinese temples are major attractions to foreign tourists.

Despite foreign influences, a diverse array of indigenous traditional cultures is still evident in Indonesia. The indigenous ethnic group ofToraja inSouth Sulawesi, still has a strong tradition that descends fromanimistic beliefs even though most Toraja areChristian now. One of the most famous Toraja tradition is their funeral rites,Rambu Solo. TheMinangkabau ethnic group retain a uniquematrilineal culture, despite being devotedMuslims. Other indigenous ethnic groups include theAsmat andDani inPapua, theDayak inKalimantan and theMentawai inSumatra, where traditional rituals are still observed.

Cultural tourism also plays a significant part inYogyakarta, a special province in Indonesia known as the centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture.^[62] The rise and fall of Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic kingdoms in Central Java has transformed Yogyakarta into a melting pot of Indonesian culture. ClassicalJavanese dances are performed in royal courts ofYogyakarta andSurakarta, as well as JavaneseRamayana Ballet performed inPrambanan open-air theatre.

Most major Indonesian cities have their state-owned museums, although most are in modest display. The most complete and comprehensive museum that displaying Indonesian culture and history spanned fromprehistoric to colonial era isNational Museum of Indonesia located in Jakarta.

For Indonesian and foreign visitors unable to visit allIndonesian provinces,Taman Mini Indonesia Indah inEast Jakarta provides a comprehensive microcosm ofIndonesian culture. Established in 1975 byTien Suharto, this park displaying museums, separate pavilions with the collections ofIndonesian architecture, clothing, dances and traditions all depicted impeccably.

From the 4th century until the 15th century, Hinduism and Buddhism shaped the culture of Indonesia. Kingdoms rise and fall, such asMataram kingdom,Srivijaya,Kediri,Singhasari andMajapahit. Along with the Indonesian classical history of Hindu-Buddhist era, they produced some temples and monuments calledcandi. The best-preserved Buddhist shrine, which was built during theSailendra dynasty in the 8th century, isBorobudur temple inCentral Java. A giant stonemandala stepped pyramid adorned with bell-shapedstupas, richly adorned with bas-reliefs telling the stories and teachings of Buddha.

A few kilometres to the southeast is thePrambanan complex, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia built during the secondMataram dynasty.^[48] The Prambanan temple is dedicated toTrimurti;Shiva,Vishnu andBrahma, three highest gods in Hinduism. Both theBorobudur and thePrambanan temple compounds have been listed in the UNESCOWorld Heritage list since 1991. Both temple are the largest and the most popular, conveniently accessible fromYogyakarta, the heartland of Javanese culture. TheRamayanaJavanese dance is performed routinely on the stage near Prambanan temple, provides the visitors with the glimpse of Javanese classical culture.

In and aroundJogjakarta, the ancient Javanese archaeology and temple enthusiast may still discover numerous ancient temples, accessible by car or motorcycle. Although not as grand and popular as Borobudur and Prambanan, these smaller temples provide a glimpse of ancient culture and the intricate details of ancient Java temple architecture.Mendut andPawon temples are located inKedu Plain near Borobudur, whileRatu Boko,Sewu, Lumbung,Plaosan,Kalasan, andSari are located inPrambanan Plain near Prambanan temple.

The temples ofEast Java dated from the era ofSinghasari andMajapahit; mostly located inTrowulan archaeological site, and also scattered aroundBlitar andMalang. Although not as grand and popular as the temples of Central Java, the East Javanese temples are also an interesting destination for candi and Indonesian ancient history enthusiast. East Javanese temples such as Wringin Lawang, Brahu, Bajang Ratu, and Candi Tikus inTrowulan archaeological site.Jawi temple near Pandaan, south of Surabaya,Penataran temple in Blitar,Kidal temple and Singhasari temple near Malang.

Most major Indonesian archaeological sites are equipped with museums; such asSamudra Raksa Museum andKarmawibhangga Museum in Borobudur, Prambanan museum in Prambanan temple compounds, andTrowulan Museum located in former Majapahit capital of Trowulan archaeological site. Some of the archaeological discoveries are also displayed in municipal museums, such asSonobudoyo Museum in Yogyakarta andRadyapustaka Museum in Surakarta, and of course the Indonesian National Museum in Jakarta.

Sumatra also home of several ancient Buddhist temples mostly linked toSrivijaya kingdom, such asMuaro Jambi inJambi province,Muara Takus inRiau andBiaro Bahal inNorth Sumatra. Sumatran temples, however, are not as elaborated and as spectacular as its Javanese counterpart, and subsequently less popular. The location is rural, quite far from large cities, so renting a car to visit these sites is advisable since public transportation to the location is scarce.

Islam has also contributed greatly to the cultural society in Indonesia. As of 2006, 88% of Indonesia's recorded population were Muslim.^[63] Islamic culture is prominent inSumatra, and a few of the remainingsultanate palaces can be seen inMedan andTanjung Pinang.

The Islamic heritage tourism is also popular, especially among Indonesian Muslims and Muslims from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei that shared common Southeast Asian Islamic heritage. The activity usually linked with Islamicziyarat pilgrimage to historical Islamic sites, such as historical mosques and tombs of venerated Islamic figures. However, for visitors in Islamic sites, either local or foreign, Muslim or non-Muslim, the rules of conduct and dress modesty is applied, such as removing the footwear while entering mosques ormakam (tombs), a visitor should not enter the site wearing shorts (sarong usually lent near the entrance to cover the lower torso of the visitors).

InAceh theBaiturrahman Grand Mosque and tombs ofAceh Sultanate kings is a popular destination, while inMedan the Medan Great Mosque andMaimun Palace is also major Islamic heritage destination. Most of the Indonesian major cities have their own historical or monumentalMasjid Agung (Grand Mosque) that become city's landmark as well as a tourism attraction.Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, the Indonesian national mosque and the largest in Southeast Asia is Jakarta's major landmark as well as a tourist attraction.

In Java the ziyarat pilgrimage is usually linked to historically important Islamic figures ofWali Sanga (Nine Saints), they are important because of their historic role in theSpread of Islam in Indonesia. Their tombs and mosques scattered along with Java's north coast towns, such asDemak,Kudus,Cirebon,Gresik, to Ampel inSurabaya. The 15th-centuryAgung Demak Mosque hailed as the first mosque established in Java.Menara Kudus Mosque is notable for incorporating Majapahit Hindu-Javanese architecture. The tomb ofSunan Gunungjati near Cirebon, is also the important ziyarat site in West Java.

The heritage tourism might also be focused on the era of 17th- to 19th-century royal Javanese courts ofYogyakarta Sultanate,Surakarta Sunanate andMangkunegaran.

The heritage tourism is focused on specific interest onIndonesian history, such as colonialarchitectural heritage ofDutch East Indies era in Indonesia. The colonial heritage tourism mostly attracted visitors from theNetherlands that share historical ties with Indonesia, as well as Indonesian or foreign colonial history enthusiast.

The activities among others are visiting museums,churches, forts and historical colonial buildings, as well as spend some nights in colonial heritage hotels. The popular heritage tourism attractions areKota – the centre of old Jakarta, with itsMaritime Museum, Kota Intan drawbridge,Gereja Sion,Wayang Museum,Stadhuis Batavia,Fine Art and Ceramic Museum,Toko Merah, Bank Indonesia Museum, Bank Mandiri Museum,Jakarta Kota railway station, andGlodok (JakartaChinatown). In the old ports ofSunda Kelapa, in Jakarta and Paotere in Makassar the tall-mastedpinisi ship still sailed. TheJakarta Cathedral with neo-gothic architecture inCentral Jakarta also attracted architecture enthusiast.

Bandung historical avenue around Asia Afrika andBraga Street displays rich collections of Indies andArt deco architecture from early 20th century. Several hotels such as Savoy Homann in Bandung andHotel Majapahit in Surabaya are colonial heritage hotels suitable for those whom interested in Dutch East Indies colonial history. TheVOC forts can be found in Yogyakarta, Makassar,Bengkulu andAmbon. Colonial buildings can also be found in old town districts of various Indonesian cities, with notable ones being inSemarang,Surabaya,Malang, Medan, and Sawahlunto.

Village tourism (Indonesian:desa wisata) is a tourism concept in Indonesia to integrate attraction, activity, accommodation, and supporting facility within a specific area, calleddesa orvillage, to maximize tourism potential of that specific area. Unlike popular resorts area that mostly owned by global hotel chains, village tourism is usually modest small scale family or community-owned accommodations; i.e. boarding house, guest house, bed and breakfast, lodge, tavern, restaurant orwarung shop. This community-based tourism model is intended to generate the local economy, create jobs, as well as empowering the local community.

Tourism potential may include natural points of interest, specific food, local activity, festivals, crafts, arts and cultural events that are unique to that area. Indonesia have 1,734 tourism villages, most of them located inJava andBali.^[64]

Leisure and urban tourism activities includeshopping,sightseeing in big cities, or enjoying modernamusement parks, nightlife and entertainment. To some extent, urban tourism might also involve municipal culture and heritage tourism, such as visits to city museums or parts of the colonial old town.

The nation's capital,Jakarta, offers many places for shopping.Mal Kelapa Gading, the biggest one with 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi),Plaza Senayan,Senayan City,Grand Indonesia,Sarinah, andPlaza Indonesia are some of theshopping malls in the city. Next to high-end shopping centres with branded products, Indonesia is also a popular destination for handicraft shopping in the region. Certain Indonesian traditional crafts such asbatik,songket,ikat weaving, embroidery, wooden statue and fashion products are popular souvenirs for visitors.^[65]

Indonesian textile and fashion products are known for their good value; good quality with relatively cheap and reasonable price.Bandung is a popular shopping destination for fashion products among Malaysians and Singaporeans.^[65] Bali has many shopping centres, for instance, theKuta shopping centre and the GaleriaNusa Dua.

Amusement parks with its rides are popular destination for Indonesian families and teenager alike.Ancol Dreamland with Dunia Fantasi theme park and Atlantis Water Adventure is Jakarta's answer to Disneyland-style amusement park and water park. Several similar theme parks also developed in other cities, such asTrans Studio Makassar andTrans Studio Bandung.

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII]) is one of large theme park to know more about Indonesia. TMII is the small miniature culture of Indonesia.

Indonesia has rich and diverse culinary traditions, and might be considered as one of the richest and the best in the world; such asrendang that was recently voted as the number one dish of CNN International 'World's 50 Most Delicious Foods' list.^[66] Many regional cuisines exist, often based uponindigenous culture and foreign influences.^[67] Indonesian cuisine varies greatly by region and has many different influences.^[67][68][69] Some popular Indonesian dishes such asnasi goreng,^[70]sate,^[71] andsoto^[72] are ubiquitous in the country and have numerous regional variations. These dishes are considered as Indonesiannational dishes.

Eating establishments in Indonesia are available from the modest street-side cart vendors, to the luxury fine-dining restaurants. Most of the malls and shopping centres in Indonesian major cities usually have an entire floor dedicated asfood courts, where one can sample a rich variety of Indonesian cuisine, and some Indonesian cities have their own signature dishes. Such asMie Aceh,Padang'srendang,Palembang'spempek,Jakarta'ssoto betawi andgado-gado,Bandung'ssiomay andbatagor,Yogyakarta'sgudeg,Solo'stongseng,Semarang'slumpia,Surabaya'srawon,Madura'ssatay,Balinesenasi campur andbabi guling,Makassar'skonro,Manado'stinutuan, toChinese Indonesianmie goreng. There are also regional food fairs and festivals, such asJakarta Fair that offers local delicacies as well as food products from various corners of Indonesia, or Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival (JFFF), that features food and fashion.

Indonesia has a local tradition of health and beauty treatments. However, it was not until 2000s thatwellness tourism business has become particularly popular in Java and Bali.^[73] In 2009 and 2012, Indonesia won international wellness awards as the world's best spa destination.^[73]

Traditionally Indonesians—especially in Java and Bali—has developed their own traditionalwellness treatment for health, beauty and wellbeing purposes.^[74] Traditional treatments includes Javanesejamu herbal medicine, also Javanese and Balinesemassage.Spas, fitness centres, andyoga classes are offered to tourists in major Indonesian cities, especially in Bali, Yogyakarta, Jakarta and Bandung. The Tourism Ministry of Indonesia has promoted Indonesia as a spa and wellness destination through various exhibitions.^[75]

Historically, theTaman Sari ofYogyakarta is a water castle built in 1758 that functioned as a pleasure garden for SultanHamengkubuwono I, his concubines and the royal family. This palace equipped with rooms and bathing pools served as a place to cleanse, purify and energize body and soul, restricted only for the king and royals, it was pretty much an 18th-century royal spa.^[73] Javanese royal treatments included jamu herbal medicine, traditional massage,luluran (herbal body scrub), bathing andaromatheraphy.^[73]

In 2019 Indonesian Tourism Ministry is also partnering with Indonesian Health Ministry to provide health tourism, in four sectors: medical tourism, wellness tourism andJamu, sports tourism, and health academic tourism.^[76]

Another popular tourist activity isgolfing, a favourite sport among theupper class Indonesians and foreigners. Indonesia has around 150 golf courses. Golf courses concentrated mostly inGreater Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Bali,Bintan and Batam. Bali, West Java and Yogyakarta have well-designed golf courses, either by the sea or on highland overlooking volcanoes. Some notable golf courses include Taman Dayu in Pasuruan East Java, Ria Bintan, Damai Indah Golf Bumi Serpong Damai Tangerang, Rancamaya near Bogor, New Kuta Golf in Bali, and Merapi Golf near Yogyakarta.^[77]

Nightlife of Indonesia is also popular among foreigners, especially in the big cities likeJakarta,Bandung,Surabaya,Manado,Denpasar andMedan.^[78] Jakarta and Bali for example, are quite popular for its vibrant nightlife and festivals as the city boast its large numbers of discotheque and clubs. The annualDjakarta Warehouse Project dance music festival is a majorElectronic Dance Music event in Asia.^[79]

Internationalsex tourism andchild sex tourism remains an issue, especially on the islands ofBatam andKarimun and in major urban centres and tourist destinations across the country, includingBali andRiau Islands. In Indonesia, prostitution is illegal and interpreted as a "crime against decency and morality".^[80] In practice, however, prostitution is quite widespread, tolerated, and somewhat regulated, mostly illegally or underground indiscotheques,massage parlours, andkaraoke rooms,^[81] and also visible on certainstreets. It is estimated that 40,000 to 70,000 Indonesian children are being exploited in prostitution within the country.^[82] Prostitution is conducted by both genders, with Bali being notorious for its 'Kuta Cowboys', localgigolos targeting foreign female tourists.^[83]

International airports

Each of the larger Indonesian islands has at least oneinternational airport. The biggest and the busiest airport in Indonesia isSoekarno-Hatta International Airport inJakarta, followed byJuanda International Airport inSurabaya as the second busiest airport in the country.^[84] There are four more international airports in Java,Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport,Yogyakarta International Airport,Jenderal Ahmad Yani International Airport, andKertajati International Airport.

Bali, the tourism hotspot, has theI Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, which is the third busiest in Indonesia and one of the main entry points for foreign visitors.^[84]

There are seven international airports inSumatra;Kualanamu International Airport inMedan,Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport inBanda Aceh,Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport inPekanbaru,Minangkabau International Airport inPadang,Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport inPalembang,Hang Nadim International Airport inBatam,H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin International Airport inTanjung Pandan.

InKalimantan, there are three international airports,Supadio International Airport inPontianak,Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport inBalikpapan, andSyamsudin Noor International Airport inBanjarmasin. In Sulawesi, there are two international airports,Sam Ratulangi International Airport inManado andSultan Hasanuddin International Airport inMakassar, which is a major hub serving central and eastern Indonesia is also the 4th busiest.^[84]

Other international airports in Indonesia includeSentani International Airport inJayapura,Lombok International Airport in the island ofLombok,^[85][86][87] andKomodo International Airport in the island ofFlores.

Train

Indonesia is an archipelagic country to explore Indonesia there are several alternatives. To have different experience beside using airplanes, traveler can use trains, ships and buses. Local transportation can be used to explore Indonesia, trains can be used to travel between cities, as sample to explore Java island travelers use train to travel from Jakarta to Yogyakarta to visit Borobudur.Indonesia also has a fast train service between Jakarta and Bandung, and local train services in and around Jakarta.

Ships

Bus

There are many bus operators, both inter-city and intra-city.

Angkot

An angkot is a small car that is used as local public transportation.

Taxi

There are several taxi operators in the city.^{[which city?]} There are also online taxis in big cities.

Motorcycle

There are online motorcycle services.

Destination Management Organization

One program of Central Government is Destination Management Organization (DMO), an integrated promotion and management program which involving all stake holders in tourism industry, including the local authority, business owners and local people. The DMO targets for 2010–2014 were 15 areas:Sabang,Toba,Jakarta Old City Area,Pangandaran,Borobudur,Tanjung Puting,Bromo-Tengger-Semeru, Batur Bali Area,Rinjani,Derawan Islands,Toraja,Bunaken,Wakatobi,Raja Ampat,Komodo-Kelimutu-Flores.^[88]

The official Indonesian government authority that is responsible for the tourism sector in Indonesia is the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia. Several campaigns to promote Indonesian tourism have been launched, either by government or private sectors through various media such as print, television, and online.

Visit Indonesia Year 1991Learning from neighbouring countries' success, such asThailand,Singapore andMalaysia, which successfully gained benefits and exploited their tourism sectors through intensive promotions, in the early 1990s the Indonesian government launched integrated efforts to promote Indonesian tourism worldwide. The first integrated campaign was coined asVisit Indonesia Year, and the first year was theVisit Indonesia Year 1991.^[89]

Visit Indonesia Year 2008The Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism declared 2008 as a Visit Indonesia Year.^[90] Visit Indonesia Year 2008 was officially launched on 26 December 2007.^[91] The figure of Visit Indonesia Year 2008 branding took the concept ofGaruda Pancasila as the Indonesian way of life. The five components of Pancasila were represented by five different coloured lines and symbolised the IndonesianUnity in Diversity. The targeted number was 7 million. Visit Indonesia Year 2008 also commemorated 100 years ofIndonesia's national awakening in 1908.

Visit Indonesia Year 2009

Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) 2009 was held at Santosa Villas & Resort in Senggigi on the west coast of Lombok NTB. Entering its 16th year of conduct, TIME 2009 was organised by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) and received the support of a wide number of tour participants in Indonesia.

TIME 2009 attracted 127 buyers from 25 countries. The top five buyers were from Korea, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, and the Netherlands. TIME 2009 also attracted a total of 250 delegates of Sellers from 97 companies of Indonesia occupying 84 booths at the exhibition. Sellers came from 15 provinces dominated by West Nusa Tenggara, Jakarta, Bali, Central Java, and East Kalimantan as top five Sellers. The percentage of sellers based on the industry was hotel, resort & spa (75%), NTO (10%), tour operator/travel agent (7%), adventure/activity holiday (3%), airline (1.5%), and others (hotel management, tourism board, tourism organization & travel portal 8.5%). During the2008 financial crisis, TIME 2009 booked an estimated of the transaction ofUS$17.48 million, or increasing 15% from the previous TIME held in Makassar, South Sulawesi in 2008.^[92]

Visit Indonesia Year 2010

Following the hosting on the island of Lombok in 2009, the event was again hosted in Lombok-Sumbawa on 12–15 October 2010 at Santosa Villas & Resort in Senggigi on the west coast of Lombok. Entering its 16th year, TIME was organised by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) and supported by a wide number of tour participants in Indonesia. TIME 2010 was supported by the travel and tourism industry in Indonesia, including the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara Culture & Tourism Office, Lombok Sumbawa Promo, Garuda Indonesia as official airline, other supporting airlines, Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA), Board of Airline Representatives Indonesia (BARINDO), Association of Indonesian Tours & Travel Agencies (ASITA), Indonesia Hotels and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Indonesian Conference and Convention Association (INCCA), Pacto Convex as the event organiser, supported by national and international media.^[93] Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara set a target of wooing one million tourists to visit the islands by 2012.^[94]

Wonderful Indonesia (since 2011)

Wonderful Indonesia has been theslogan since January 2011 of an international marketing campaign directed by theIndonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism to promote tourism.^[95] The campaign replaced the previous "Visit Indonesia Year" campaign which had been used since 1991.^[96] The "Wonderful Indonesia" concept highlights Indonesia's "wonderful"nature,cultures,people,food, and value for the money.^[97][98] After the campaign was launched, Indonesia reported an increase of foreign visitors; from 7,002,944 in 2010, to 7,649,731 in 2011; and 8,044,462 in 2012.^[99]

In late January 2011, Culture and Tourism MinisterJero Wacik announced that "Wonderful Indonesia" would replace the previous "Visit Indonesia Year" branding used by the nation's official tourism promotional campaigns, although the logo of stylised curves Garuda remain.^[100] The minister announced that in 2010, foreign tourists visiting Indonesia touched 7 million and made predictions of 7.7 million in 2011. He was reported as describing the new branding as reflecting "the country's beautiful nature, unique culture, varied food, hospitable people and price competitiveness. "We expect each tourist will spend around US$1,100 and with an optimistic target of 7.7 million arrivals, we will get $8.3 billion," from this. The Culture and Tourism Minister added that 50 per cent of the revenue would be generated from about 600 meetings, conventions and exhibitions that were expected to take place in various places throughout the country 2011. He further added in the announcements of January 2011 that his ministry would be promoting the country's attractions under the eco-cultural banner.^[101]

Pesona Indonesia (since 2014)In December 2014, the new Minister of Tourism,Arief Yahya launched the new brandPesona Indonesia to target the domestic tourism market. BothWonderful Indonesia andPesona Indonesia have the same Garuda logo. The minister hopes that both brands will be a single tourism identity for Indonesia.^[102]

2016

For most of the time, Indonesian tourism relies heavily on the charm of Bali as a drawing force to attract tourists. As a result, most foreign visitors are drawn and concentrated only in Bali, which already has quite well-developed tourism culture and infrastructure. To distribute the wealth of tourism and generate tourism-related economic opportunities among Indonesian provinces, the tourism authority launched a program to create and add new centres of attraction as an alternative for Bali.

In mid-2016, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism launched a new program named "10 Priority Tourism Destinations (Indonesian:10 Destinasi Wisata Prioritas)" dubbed as "the new Bali". The ten destinations areBorobudur Temple,Lake Toba,Mount Bromo,Komodo National Park,Kepulauan Seribu,Mandalika,Wakatobi Islands,Tanjung Kelayang beach,Tanjung Lesung beach, andMorotai island.^[103]

The efforts among others by creating and improving tourism infrastructure facilities including hotels, homestays, restaurants, handicraft and souvenir art markets, also improving interconnection into these regions by improving and constructing new airports.^[103] However, in practice by 2017 among these 10 priorities, only 4 of them that kick-off and received full government attention and supports; they are Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Labuan Bajo as the gate into Komodo National park, and Mandalika in Lombok.^[104]

Although Indonesia had sufferedterrorist attacks back in the 1980s, it was not until 2000s that the attacks have become more disturbingly organized. The first major terrorist attack in Indonesia was2002 Bali bombing. This was a major blow to Indonesia's tourism industry. A series of travel warnings were issued by several countries. After the attack, the rate of tourism inBali decreased by 32%.^[108]

After this 2002 attack, the following three years also suffered three major terrorist bombings: the2003 Marriott Hotel bombing, the2004 Australian embassy bombing in Jakarta, and asecond bombing in Bali. Fortunately in 2008, no major terrorist attack occurred since 2005, and theUnited States Government lifted its warning against travel to Indonesia.^[109] In 2006, 227,000Australians visited Indonesia, and in 2007, this tourist rate continued to rise with a recorded 314,000 tourists entering Indonesia.^[109]

In 2008, theUS government lifted their travel warning on Indonesia.^[110]

By 2016, the terrorist threat was renewed and reactivated by the outbreak ofISIS-affiliated sleeper cells in the region. In 2016, Jakarta sufferedterrorist attack. And by 2018, numbers of terrorist attacks erupted inSurabaya andPekanbaru.

Most of the major tourist destinations in Indonesia, especially Bali, Yogyakarta, Batam, Bandung and Jakarta, have a rather relaxed modern cosmopolitan social outlook, which is quite conducive for the tourism industry. However, certain regional provinces might not have that kind of luxury and tend to be conservative.^{[clarification needed]} In addition to national laws, certain Indonesian provinces have applied regional autonomous laws, some of them based on Islamicsharia law, such asAceh province. Extra caution must be demonstrated by visitors to Aceh since the province has rather strict Islamic-based law, enforced byIslamic religious police, called theWilayatul Hisbah in Indonesia.^[111]

Thus, some certain normally private matters, such as beach clothing (especially bikini),^[112] modesty issue, party and the consumption of alcohol, to a display of affections between a couple, are discouraged and frowned upon, and might led to a legal problem.^[113] Carefulness and discretion are required, especially for unmarried couple and LGBT travellers.^[114]

Thelegal restriction against alcohol, pushed forward by Islamist parties and organizations in the country, is also harming tourism and service sector. As a result, the alcohol tax in Indonesia is among the highest in the world, which caused an unusually high price for alcoholic beverages. This policy is quite harmful to bar, club and restaurant industry in Indonesia.^[115]

Another unconducive policy is a rather strict policy on nightlife; local authority sometimes launched a raid on clubs, karaoke and discothèque in a pretext to curb down drugs and substance abuse in these places, which might be inconvenient for visitors.^[116] It was reported in April 2017 that the Indonesian government authorities arrested 32 foreign nationals for failing to show proper ID during a raid on an entertainment hub in Batam on 23 April 2017. Yudi Kurnain, a Batam Legislative Council member had condemned the raid, saying that it might discourage tourism in the island. He was quoted as saying, "They should humanely conduct immigration checks, not through such repressive actions".^[117]

Since 2016,anti-LGBT sentiments are on the rise in the country, such ashomophobia, hate crimes, raids, criminalization and harassment againstLGBT locals and foreigners.^[118] The government's failure to curb Islamist attacks on LGBT people might damage the tourism sector and real estate development.^[119]

Another major threat to the tourism industry are sectarian and separatist conflicts in certain provinces of Indonesia. Decades ofseparatism-related violence inAceh ended in 2005 with the signing of a peace agreement between the Indonesian Government and theFree Aceh Movement.^[120] Currently, Aceh is trying to develop its tourism sector,^[121] although they still have problems regarding unconducive policies such as strict enforcement ofsharia law that may harm tourism development in the province.^[122]

While the tourism industry inMaluku andCentral Sulawesi, which have suffered in recent years fromserious sectarianconflicts, are currently recovering.^[123]

Papua on the other hand, is still affected byPapuan separatism, a small scaleregional conflict. The government and military has been accused of a "slow genocide" against native inhabitant, throughtransmigration from other densely populated Indonesian provinces that alter the demographic balance in the province.^[124] The government and military also has been accused for suppressing free speech inWest Papua, after an expulsion of foreign journalists.^[125]

Environmental issues also pose some problems in the Indonesian tourism sector: especially for nature conservation, marine, forest and national park-related tourism. Problems include deforestation, haze hazard caused byslash-and-burn practice that disrupts air transportation and health, also plastic garbage that pollutes marine life.

During the tropicaldry season in 2015, Indonesia and its neighbours were hit by amassive haze, caused by slash and burn practice to clear the land in Sumatra and Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).Riau suffered the worst, as the haze disrupted air transportation and caused a health hazard.^[126]

In March 2018, a diver shows footage of a popular diving site polluted with floating plastic garbage in Manta Point, Nusa Penida, around 20 kilometres off the coast of Bali. Bali sits in the middle of the Indonesian throughflow, a current that streams from the Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean through the string of straits of the Indonesian archipelago. This means thatplastic waste could either be local or be brought in from as far away as the Pacific Ocean; either from within Indonesia, from neighbouring Malaysia and Philippines, or from faraway Asia-Pacific regions, carried away by sea currents.^[127]

An outbreak ofbird flu throughout the country has affected the numbers of foreign visitors. As of 2006, the outbreak had killed at least 46 people since 2005, making Indonesia the country with the highest death toll from the recent epidemic.^[128] However, since the disease has not yet been proven tomutate into a form that can transfer from human to human, the US embassy, for example, has not yet issued a travel warning regarding the outbreak.^[129]

Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia closed its borders to all travellers from China. This move has impacted the Indonesian tourism since Chinese travellers are the second-biggest foreign visitors to the country. The government is planning to spend $477 million in the form of tax cuts, discounts, and others to reduce the slump in the tourism sector.^[130] Foreign tourist arrivals at 3 (three) big gates from 26 main entrances in April 2020 compared to April 2019, namely: Ngurah Rai decreased by -99.94%; Soekarno-Hatta experienced a decrease of -99.79%, and Batam decreased by -99.27%.^[131] In March 2020, The Indonesian government has decided that Visa Free Arrival (BVK), Visa on Arrival and the Diplomatic / Free Service Visa policy are suspended for 1 month.^[132]

Guide books and travel accounts with details of the country and people have had a long history – some books from the 19th century and early 20th-century being classics with a description of places that were perceived asthings to see. Both private authors and government publications (such as the 1920sCome to Java books produced in Batavia by the government tourist bureau of the time) have been made each decade through to the present.

There were restrictions to tourism during World War II and the mid-to-late 1960s – other than those two periods – travel accounts and guide books have been produced regularly. James Rush's andAdrian Vickers' texts mentioned below are excellent introductions to the range of writing that has been created.

The most popular guide book on Indonesia in English from the 1970s to the 1990s was Bill Dalton'sIndonesia Handbook, while from the 1990s onward, theLonely Planet'sIndonesia went to its tenth edition in 2010. Many other guide books have been produced in English and other languages.

Major international newspapers regularly have travel sections and stories about Indonesia.^[48] The journalists of tourism in Indonesia joined in the Indonesian Tourism Journalist Association (ITJA),^[133] Indonesian journalists active enough to write a variety of tourism information about the uniqueness found in this country.

• 
  Lake Singkarak, West Sumatera
• 
  Blue lava ofIjen crater, East Java
• 
  MountKelimutu crater lakes, East Nusa Tenggara
• 
  Pangandaran Beach, West Java
• 
  Kawah Putih, West Java
• 
  Borobudur, Yogyakarta
• 
  Parangtritis Beach,Yogyakarta
• 
  The beach atGili Meno withLombok in the distant background
• 
  Rice terraces inBali
• 
  Fishing boats in the main harbourKarimunjawa
• 
  Ternate, North Maluku
• 
  Gedong Songo Temples, Ungaran, Central Java
• 
  Ambarawa Railway Museum, Central Java
• 
  Trowulan archaeological site, East Java
• 
  Puncak in West Java
• 
  Saronde Island, Gorontalo
• 
  Bunaken marine park, North Sulawesi
• 
  Kahayan River, Central Kalimantan

• Alcohol in Indonesia
• Transport in Indonesia
• Visa policy of Indonesia
• Category:World Heritage Sites in Indonesia

Wikivoyage has a travel guide forIndonesia.

• Indonesia's official tourism website
• Tourism in Indonesia

• Tourism in Indonesia

• Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
• CS1 Indonesian-language sources (id)
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from March 2020
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Use dmy dates from March 2020
• Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from September 2025
• All Wikipedia articles needing copy edit
• Wikipedia articles with style issues from September 2025
• All articles with style issues
• Articles with multiple maintenance issues
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from January 2025
• Articles with unsourced statements from July 2025
• Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2024
• Articles with unsourced statements from September 2010
• Wikipedia articles in need of updating from January 2025
• All Wikipedia articles in need of updating
• Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2025
• CS1 maint: publisher location