Malaysia continues to dominate as the largest contributor to international tourist arrivals in Indonesia, though its numbers saw a decline in October 2024. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that while Malaysia remains the top source of visitors, arrivals dropped by 17.22% compared to the previous month. Despite this, Malaysia’s year-on-year numbers reveal significant growth, highlighting its pivotal role in Indonesia’s tourism recovery.
Acting Head of BPS, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, reported that 194,100 Malaysian tourists entered Indonesia in October, accounting for 16.3% of all arrivals in September 2024.
“Malaysian tourist arrivals in Indonesia decreased by 17.22% month-on-month but increased by 40.05% year-on-year,” she explained during the release of BPS data on Monday, December 2, 2024.
The majority of Malaysian tourists accessed Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. This trend was also observed among Chinese nationals, whereas Australian tourists predominantly arrived via Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport.
Australia emerged as the second-highest contributor, with approximately 150,500 tourists, or 12.6% of the total arrivals. Following closely, Singapore sent 106,300 visitors, making up 8.9% of October’s total international arrivals.
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Overall, Indonesia welcomed 1,193,867 international tourists in October 2024, a 6.68% decline from September. However, the numbers still marked a 22.01% increase compared to the same month in 2023.
From January to September 2024, cumulative international tourist arrivals reached an impressive 11,565,981, representing a 20.45% increase from the same period in 2023. Despite these gains, Amalia acknowledged that the numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels.
“In January–September 2019, international arrivals reached 13,449,106. While the numbers are increasing, they remain lower than before the pandemic,” Amalia said.
On average, international visitors, including those crossing borders, spent around 7.28 nights in Indonesia in October 2024. This highlights the country’s potential to further boost its tourism sector by encouraging longer stays and more visits from a diverse range of countries.
