Indonesia's tourism sector is on an upward trajectory, with foreign tourist arrivals increasing by 20% from January to November 2024. According to the latest report from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the country welcomed 1.09 million foreign visitors in November 2024, bringing the total number of arrivals to 12.66 million for the year. This marks a 20.17% growth compared to the same period in 2023, the highest growth in the last five years.

Ni Made Ayu Marthini, Acting Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism, attributed the positive trend to the collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism and various stakeholders. “Joint efforts have driven a quality and sustainable tourism sector that benefits society at large,” she said.

In a significant shift, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy was split into two separate agencies on January 1, 2025 — the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Creative Economy.

For 2024, the Ministry of Tourism had set two targets for tourist arrivals: a lower target of 10.41 million and an upper target of 14.3 million. "With the data for December 2024 still pending, we are optimistic that we will meet or even exceed our upper target," Made remarked. The official data for December is expected to be released by BPS in February.

The Ministry has been proactive in boosting tourism through a collaborative marketing program, including familiarization trips and the Wonderful Indonesia campaign, which has been promoted across digital platforms to enhance Indonesia's image globally.

Looking ahead to 2025, the Ministry plans to ramp up its marketing efforts by embracing new trends, such as promoting lesser-known destinations (off-the-beaten-path), experiential tourism, and special-interest sectors like gastronomy and luxury travel. These initiatives are expected to have a significant impact on reaching the tourism sector’s future targets, Made concluded.