Indonesia

The Foreign Ministry confirmed 7 Indonesian nationals were among those killed in a migrant boat sinking off Pangkor Island, Malaysia, while 7 remain missing. The Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur are helping 37 Indonesian citizens who were on the boat. 23 people were rescued, and most of them didn’t possess legal travel documents. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) reported the migrants left Kisaran, North Sumatra, and were heading to Penang, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur

The Association of Indonesian Travel Agents (ASTINDO) reported a 27-30% decline in sales since March 2026, with consumers concerned about their employer, rising taxes and fuel shortages. They noted that the middle class are limiting travel to family trips and reducing the frequency of travel

Traveloka has recorded that from Mar 2025-Dec 2025 for its Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam routes, traffic grew more than 20% and transactions were +25% on double digit dates such as 1.1, 2.2, etc. The OTA has been aligning its promotions with double digit days in 2026, with March 2026 in Vietnam seeing historical highs in transactions

Saudi Arabian Hajj Pilgrimage Officials (PPIH) advised Indonesian pilgrims to carry their Hajj cards while travelling or leaving their hotels. Those without a Hajj card could be denied entry to certain areas, including in Mecca

The Mecca Route has streamlined the departure of Indonesian Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, with the operation in place at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, as well as Solo, Surabaya and Makassar’s airports too

The Ministry of Haj and Umrah reported 5,997 Indonesian pilgrims from the first batch have reached Medina, Saudi Arabia, from 22 Apr via 15 flight groups. The pilgrims departed from Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Medan, Lombok, Solo, and Makassar

The first batch of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims of 391 people left Jakarta for Saudi Arabia on 21 Apr. A send-off event was held at the Jakarta–Pondok Gede embarkation point

The Hajj and Umrah Minister advised Indonesians that citizens travelling to Saudi Arabia without a Hajj visa will not be allowed to perform the pilgrimage. The Ministry of Immigration and Corrections prevented 13 Indonesians from travelling to Saudi Arabia on suspicion of wanting to perform Hajj without a Hajj visa

The CEO of Panorama JTB Tours Indonesia said corporate incentive trips to Europe are being gradually postponed or rerouted due to the Middle East conflict, rather than through sudden cancellations. She added that postponements continued even after the flight schedule had resumed to normal. She said some companies are shifting their plans to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Demand has increased from 150 groups in Q1 2025 to 200 groups in Q1 2026 despite a drop in Europe. She also mentioned that due to fewer trips to Europe, the margin has dropped. The Director of Golden Rama Tours and Travel is also reporting postponements for Apr and May scheduled trips to Sep and Oct, as the companies wait for the conditions to improve. He stated that most companies are avoiding Middle East-based airlines. Some companies are offering cash rewards instead of trips. The CEO of Ego Global Asia is expecting the clients to focus on domestic and regional trips in 2026. The Chairman of The Association of Indonesian Travel Agents (ASTINDO) said the global uncertainty and slowdown in the domestic economy will cause a 10% decline in incentive trips to Europe in 2026

Garuda Indonesia and KLM have expanded their codeshare partnership on routes to Budapest, Dublin, and Lyon from Amsterdam

South Sulawesi has been allocated 9,857 pilgrimage quota for Hajj in 2026, comprising the initial quota of 9,670, an additional 776 people from other provinces, and 26 people transferred between provinces. South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, West Papua, and Southwest Papua will serve as embarkation points. Makassar embarkation centre serves pilgrims from South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, West Papua, and Southwest Papua

Cathay Pacific will reduce flights from Hong Kong to Denpasar, Jakarta, and Surabaya from 16 May to 30 Jun: Denpasar from 88 to 82 flights Jakarta from 136 to 121 flights Surabaya to 46 flights (from 13,147 to 12,594 seats)

The first wave of Indonesian Haj pilgrims are set to leave on 22 Apr, and the second wave on 7 May. The government announced that preparations were nearly 100% complete, and unless they receive a “no departure” notice from Saudi Arabia, will go ahead