Indonesia

The Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has seen a drop of 20% in hotel occupancy rates in Bali, which it links to travellers choosing unlicensed accommodation. In Q1 2025, Bali received 1.45 million international travellers, +7.95% YoY, but average hotel occupancy is declining. PHRI called on the local government to enforce existing regulations. The Bali Tourism Agency noted that it was paying attention to this issue

Travel Meet Asia 2025 will be held from 25-26 Jun at Swissotel Jakarta PIK Avenue. The event will see participation from leading travel companies. The event will also be supported by the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA), the Association of the Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents (ASTINDO), the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) and the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA). 400 regional and international buyers have confirmed their attendance. The event will feature the Travel Meet Asia conference program with topics in 6 key themes such as market overview and trends, travel and destination marketing, hotels & alternative accommodations, MICE & corporate travel, travel technology, and transportation & logistics

The Bali Governor met with the Consulate General of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste in Bali to discuss collaboration for tourism. The Consul General noted that the country was open to learn from Bali about how to manage tourism

The Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Indonesia later in May, prior to the French President’s visit on 27-29 May

The Hadiprana Hospitality, which currently has 3 properties – Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana; Rumah Prapanca, a Residence by Hadiprana; and Dua Dari, a Residence by Hadiprana – will add a 4th property, Bandarindu, a Hotel by Hadiprana, which is set to open its doors in Q4 2026

Cross Hotels & Resorts signed 2 lifestyle hotels in Batam called Cross Batam The Mix and Cross Vibe Batam The Mix. The hotels will be located within an integrated complex in Pasir Putih, Batam Centre, and will be developed by PT MIG Putra Indonesia, a joint venture initiative between PURI Group Indonesia and Rima Properties Group Malaysia. The hotels will reinforce the brand’s commitment to transform Batam into a regional hub for lifestyle, leisure, and MICE tourism. The hotels are slated to open in phases from 2027 and will be fully operational by 2028

Agoda and the Indonesian Tourism Ministry renewed their partnership to boost domestic and international visitors to Indonesia by using Agoda’s technology to improve decision-making under the country’s “Tourism 4.0” vision. Tourism 4.0 outlines the usage of digital technologies and innovative approaches within the industry. Agoda hosted its first Agoda Academy workshop for students from Bandung Tourism Polytechnic to offer an understanding of Agoda’s work culture and operational case studies to provide a practical perspective for those who would like to acquire digital tourism skills

The Uluwatu Sea Wall Project has been officially completed, and the next steps in its development will start after conducting a traditional Balinese Hindu blessing ceremony in 2026. The crack on the cliff has been stabilised, and the access road to the project has been completed. A series of follow-up developments will be carried out in the next 2 years

Bali will host its annual Ubud Food Festival from 30 May-1 Jun. The event will mark the 10th anniversary and will be celebrated under the theme, ‘Exploring Heritage’. The Director of the Festival said they honour Indonesia’s rich culinary traditions through this event, and visitors can discover regional specialities and enjoy the recipes. In 2024, Ubud Food Festival welcomed 15,000 visitors and more visitors are expected in 2025 event

The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has reported that Indonesian travellers are delaying long-distance trips and opting for short-distance travel within their local areas. They noted that interprovincial travel is mainly for long weekends or festival periods, whilst there is a large decline in weekday business trips that have previously supported year-round demand. Bank Mandiri research has shown that intra-provincial trips are +45.9% YoY in 2024, whilst interprovincial travel was -25.4% YoY. Jakarta saw intra-provincial travel increase 148% YoY, while short distance travel outside the province saw 10.3% YoY increase, and medium and long distance travel declined. Statistics Indonesia mobile positioning data saw more interprovincial travel in 2024 for provinces like Yogyakarta, Banten and Greater Jakarta area, but that in 2024, 69.7% of all domestic trips were within the same province, often linked to events. They reported that nearly half of the attendees at the 2024 MotoGP Mandalika race were local, and just 10% from Jakarta. In 2024 overall, domestic trips were at 1.02 billion, +21.6% YoY, and a growth from 722 million in 2019

The Minister of Culture asked the museums in Indonesia to increase inclusivity and pursue digital technology integration to stay relevant for the younger generation. Indonesia currently has around 469 museums. He highlighted challenges such as limited professional staff, capacity gaps among the regions, limited funding, and low public involvement. The Ministry of Culture has set up the Directorate of History and Museums to promote the standardisation of institutional governance, and revitalise and digitise museum collections and infrastructure

V-Green, a global EV charging station developer, announced an MoU signing with Chargecore, Chargepoint, Amarta Group, and CVS to deploy 63,000 charging ports for VinFast electric vehicles in Indonesia in 2025. They will invest 300 million USD to develop EV charging facilities in Indonesia with a focus on Jabodetabek, Bandung, Surabaya, Makassar, Medan, Batam, Bali, and Kalimantan. The project will launch in May 2025, and the first stations set to go online in Jun. Chargecore will invest at least 30 million USD in 2025. Chargepoint, Amarta Group, and CVS are committed to investing 5.3 million USD annually and becoming charging port distributors. V-GREEN will directly invest in 20% of the stations, and the remaining 80% will be implemented through business cooperation contracts (BCC)

The new Bali International Hospital officially opened in its soft opening phase. There are 5 screening packages available for medical tourists, with more anticipated to launch soon. It is also the first medical facility in Indonesia to have foreign doctors on the roster

Indonesia is planning to switch some of its fuel imports from Singapore to the US as part of its tariff negotiations. It could switch as much as 60% of its imports from Singapore in early stages

Bali launched a crackdown against illegal tourism accommodation in the island following complaints of unregistered businesses operated by foreigners illegally in Bali. Badung Regency conducted a series of spot checks on suspected illegally operating tourism villas in Bali. The authorities will make sure the accommodations are registered for the Regional Taxpayer Identification Number (NPWPD)

DKSH Healthcare published a White Paper titled “Southeast Asia as a Growth Accelerator for Global Healthcare Firms”. Indonesia is making Batam, a special economic zone, to ease medical tourism processes and attract international medical tourists

The Buleleng Regency Government is waiting for approval for the new regional regulation before imposing entry fees for some of its attractions. From the tariff collected, 25% will be allocated to the regional treasury and 75% to the management of the tourism attraction. The Regency targets to earn 7.5 billion IDR in tourism tax revenue in 2025, up from 5 billion in 2024. This planned tax is separate from the Bali Tourism Tax Levy. Tourists may be asked to present their QR voucher of Bali Tourism Tax Levy to tourism officers at top attractions, in resort areas, or at the airport

Bali Police conducted a raid on illegal motorcycle drivers and seized 56 motorcycles, including from foreigners, from 1-3 May at Badung Regency. The Police confirmed total 81 traffic violations were recorded including 30 by foreigners and 51 by locals

The Ministry of Manpower will launch a crackdown on foreign nationals working illegally in Indonesia under tourist visas. Deputy Mayor of Yogyakarta ordered the local Manpower Office to conduct inspections to ensure the foreign worker recruitment procedures comply with the regulations

The Deputy Tourism Minister said waste management is important to achieve a sustainable and high-quality tourism sector. The Hariara Pohan Tourism Village in Samosir district, North Sumatra, adopted reducing, reusing, and recycling (3R) waste management in Aug 2024. The village welcomed 1.2 million tourists in 2024, 50% above the target

Statistics Indonesia data shows the country recorded 4.87% YoY economic growth, but -0.98% QoQ, in Q1 2025, its weakest growth rate since Q3 2021. In Q4 2024, the economic growth was recorded at 5.02%. In Q1 2024, household spending recorded 4.89% annually, the slowest in five quarters. The category makes up over half of Indonesia’s GDP. Investment growth was 2.12% lowest in 2 years, while the government’s spending contracted

The Culture Minister relaunched the Dana Indonesiana Cultural Endowment Fund program for the 2025-2026 period. A total of 465 million IDR will be allocated for the 2025-2026 period from the total fund of 5 trillion IDR. He expects the fund to stimulate public-private partnerships in the cultural sector. The program will be carried out transparently in partnership with the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education Agency. The Ministry will use cultural preservation centres in 23 provinces to promote the fund and educate the public

Post-pandemic boom on digital nomads is causing higher property prices. Phuket and Langkawi recorded an average of 8% and 4% hikes in property values, respectively, in 2024. However, in Bali, the property prices increased by 15.1% in 2024 according to brokerage firms. Due to high demand, agricultural villages are being transformed into towns with upscale restaurants and modern villas. In 2024, Bali recorded +40% YoY in the number of digital nomads, and it’s estimated that over 3,000 digital nomads are living in Bali. A Transport Expert said traffic in Bali is getting worse due to the increasing crowd and narrow roads. He said that tourists are taking taxis or renting vehicles since “public transportation in Bali is virtually non-existent”. Bali’s first LRT network connecting the Airport with Cemagi Beach is expected to open by 2031. AirDNA, a property monitoring company, found that there are 83,500 properties available for rent in Bali, and the available properties are recording 20%-27% growth every year

Electricity was fully restored to Bali in the early hours of 3 May, after a power outage hit certain regions on 2 May from 4pm. The airport was affected, but flights continued with the backup generators, although delays were encountered. The outage was likely triggered by a disruption in subsea cables connecting the island with Java island

An electricity blackout hit 80% of Bali province on 2 May. By 7.30pm, power had been restored to over 940,000 affected residents

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) said the consumer price index (CPI) increased to 1.95% YoY in Apr due to an increase in demand for coffee and gold. Food, beverages, and tobacco prices increased by 2.17% YoY, contributing 0.64 percentage points to headline inflation. Headline inflation in Apr increased by 1.17% MoM. Core inflation increased by 2.5% YoY

Agoda’s data found searches for Labuan Bajo have increased by over 107% in the last 12 months due affordable access with direct flights to Labuan Bajo after the opening of a direct flight route from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo in Sep 2024 and from Singapore from Mar 2025. Tourists from Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea, and Australia are top visitors to Labuan Bajo. The same travel demographics consistently rank as the top international arrivals to Bali

The Ministry of Tourism, local government officials, and the Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) participated in a coordination meeting to discuss the rising number of illegal accommodations in Bali. They announced the establishment of a task force to monitor tourism accommodation in Bali and take action against illegal operators. PHRI recorded a 10%-20% drop in hotel occupancy rate despite an increase in tourist arrivals. PHRI’s data shows Bali hosts 593 starred hotels, 196 non-star hotels, and 2,852 legal villas, offering 54,275 rooms in total. The PHRI Bali Chapter Secretary General said many tourists are staying in illegal accommodations. Deputy for Industry and Investment at the Ministry of Tourism said that digital booking platforms play a part in facilitating the increase of illegal rentals, but she added that the government does not have the exact data on the number of illegal accommodations

The Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs announced that the government has declared a forest and land fire emergency status for Riau Province from Apr until Nov or Dec 2025 based on the data by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), which shows the region can experience 2 dry seasons annually. 81 hectares have been burned so far in Riau, the highest compared to other fire-prone provinces such as Aceh, Jambi, and Central Kalimantan. The government will carry out prevention steps such as weather modification to induce rain, water bombing, helicopter patrols, filling ponds, water canals, and maintaining high water levels in peatlands

Badung Regency will launch a new program for the local communities to improve their English through the government’s Job Training Centre (BLK)

Archipelago, a Southeast Asian hospitality firm, signed a strategic long-term partnership with Institut Pariwisata Trisakti on 22 Apr, focusing on the “Three Pillars of Higher Education: Education, Research, and Community Engagement”. All of Archipelago’s employees in Indonesia are able to attend the program though online and offline learning options with the Bachelor’s in Tourism program based at the Institut Pariwisata Trisakti campus in South Jakarta. This partnership will run for the next 5 years and will focus on; Expanded Education Access for Employees, Internship and Industry Exposure for Students, and Technological Support for Applied Learning

Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN), a foundation focused on conservation in Indonesia, launched Life Music by Suara Alam Nusantara, a music album compiling natural sound recordings of the Wehea Forest in East Kalimantan. YKAN’s research using Hugh Conservation Values (HCV) data found a thriving ecosystem in the forest. The track were recorded at YKAN’s important conservation sites such as Raja Ampat regency in Southwest Papua, the peatlands of Muara Siran in Kutai Kartanegara and Lake Nyadeng in Berau

The Minister of Religious Affairs will advocate for establishing the Hajj and Hadith museum in Indonesia during his visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the Hadith Foundation Forum

The Bali Waste Clean-Up Movement came into effect from 11 Apr, with a ban on single use plastic bottles with capacity of less than one litre

Tourists can now pay the Bali Tourism Tax at tourist attractions such as Uluwatu Temple and Tanah Lot Temple. The Head of the Buleleng Tourism Office confirmed 20 new payment points have been created at the top attractions in Buleleng Regency

Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman said China is willing to increase imports from Indonesia, including in the fisheries and durian sectors to avert the effects from the US-imposed tariffs on Indonesia

The Finance Minister said the government set a 5.2% target for economic growth for Indonesia in 2025 and to increase growth to 8% by 2029. IMF downgraded Indonesia’s economic growth estimate to 4.7% from 5.1% for 2025. The Minister will meet with the US Treasury Secretary later this week. Indonesia’s exports to the US only account for about 2% of its GDP but the government expects a fallout from the trade war could hurt its economy

The first groups of haj pilgrims will depart on 2 May, as part of the 221,000 people travelling to Saudi Arabia, with departures until 11 Jun

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) President said there was a +12% in demand for Indonesian destinations during the MATTA fair. He added that the drop in IDR could be a factor, and people are purchasing ahead for trips in the next 6 months. In 2024, 2.27 million Malaysians visited Indonesia, +24.22% YoY

Indonesia and Switzerland launched the 2025-2028 Indonesia-Switzerland Development Cooperation Program to improve their 50-year strategic partnership. National Development Planning’s Deputy Minister said the cooperation program will be launched in Oct 2025. The collaboration will focus on increasing public sector efficiency and economic competitiveness; improving human resource capacity through vocational education; and developing sustainable infrastructure

The Ministry of Tourism and UN Tourism launched “Tourism Doing Business: Investing in Indonesia”, an investment guide. The guide details the tourism potential of Indonesia, highlights 10 super-priority destinations, 3 regenerative tourism zones, and special economic zones, which are designed to attract investments. The Tourism Minister said this guide marks a significant milestone in their efforts to promote sustainable tourism and improve the country’s position as a premier destination for tourism investment. The guide was published during the Joint Commission Meeting for the UN Tourism Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP) and the 37th UN Tourism Commission for South Asia (CSA) held on 16 Apr in Jakarta. This guide is UN Tourism’s first investment guide for Asia Pacific region

The Bali Governor asked the Buleleng Regency Government to implement regulations to maintain the natural landscape around the Turyapada Tower. The tower is built with a cost of 418 billion IDR for digital television broadcasts, telecommunications, internet, and radio communications. The tower also will become a new tourist attraction in North Bali

ITDC signed a contract to develop the Mandalika Special Economic Zone in Lombok. Mandalika, Lombok, was identified as one of the 5 super-priority destinations to promote tourism growth in Indonesia. As part of joint venture between ITDC and companies from Indonesia, Japan, and the UAE, a 5-star hotel will be constructed with an investment of 2.1 trillion IDR which will be located on Tanjung Aan Beach spanning over 101,000 sqm

An official from the Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) Department of Badung Regency said the Uluwatu Sea Wall Project has been completed despite concerns over its environmental impact. He said additional work will continue through 2025 and 2026

The Chinese Foreign Minister said China and Indonesia should oppose trade protectionism. He said both countries should improve regional economic integration and improve the stability of the supply chain

Bali has resumed all six routes of the Trans Metro Dewata public bus service, after it was stopped in Jan following government fund restrictions. PT Satria Trans Jaya’s Operational Manager said the interval between buses will increase to 17-19 minutes from the previous 12-13 minutes, and will operate 75 times daily, vs 105 services it offered previously. Tourists can use the MitraDarat app to view schedules

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on 20 Apr with a height of 3km and grey smoke, according to the Volcano Observation Post Officer. Communities around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki are aware of potential lava floods in rivers and are advised to wear face masks to reduce respiratory distress. However, the eruption didn’t disrupt any flights in Labuan Bajo or Bali airports. Bali Airport’s General Manager confirmed they are taking a no-risk approach to manage responses to natural disasters