Indonesia records 8.98 million foreign visits in January-July 2026

Jakarta — Indonesia recorded 8.98 million foreign tourist visits from January through July 2026, up 5.23% from the same period a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy citing Statistics Indonesia, or BPS.

The ministry said the seven-month total was supported by gains in several regional source markets, including other Asian markets, Southeast Asia and Oceania. It also said arrivals from the Middle East returned to positive growth, while Europe remained in contraction but improved from the previous month.

Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said the government is focusing on market diversification and measures to keep growth resilient amid global uncertainty, according to the ministry’s monthly tourism performance report.

Tourism indicators

The ministry also said tourism foreign-exchange earnings reached US$8.43 billion in the first half of 2026, up 2.88% from US$8.20 billion in the same period of 2025. It put the corresponding rupiah values at Rp145.13 trillion and Rp134.68 trillion.

Other indicators cited in the report pointed to continued domestic travel and accommodation activity.

• Domestic tourist trips reached 737.85 million in January-July, up 3.34% year on year.
• Indonesians took 5.26 million overseas trips in the same period, down 3.25% year on year.
• The ministry reported a surplus of 3.71 million between domestic trips and overseas trips.
• Hotel occupancy stood at 49.13%, up 2.36% from the comparable 2025 period.

The ministry said tourism’s direct contribution to gross domestic product reached 4.78% in 2025, equal to about Rp1,139 trillion, compared with Rp1,057 trillion in 2024. It presented the figure as part of a broader argument that tourism performance should be judged alongside spending, length of stay and business activity, not arrivals alone.

BPS data cited in the report showed that the January-July foreign-visit total was the highest for the period since 2020. A separate report from BPS cited by another outlet said July arrivals alone reached 1.53 million, with Malaysia, Australia and China among the top source markets.

The ministry’s report did not provide a Bali-specific breakdown in the figures reviewed, and the 8.98 million total covers nationwide foreign visits rather than a destination-level count.

Sources

• CNN Indonesia
• RRI
• Indonesia Ministry of Tourism