The tourism industry of Indonesia maintained a positive trajectory of its development in 2026 by reaching the record level of tourist arrivals since the times of coronavirus restrictions in 2020. Specifically, 6.07 million foreign tourists visited the country in January–May 2026, which is the best result recorded for the past six years. The statistics has been recently provided by Indonesia Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).
As Deputy Director of Distribution and Services Statistics of BPS Ateng Hartono said in a press conference held on Wednesday, July 1, the current growth in the number of foreign visitors visiting Indonesia shows the best results in the past six years. As stated by Hartono, the current trends show the continuing recovery of the country's tourism sector due to the improvements in international aviation and rising regional and global tourist demand towards Indonesia's destinations.
Thus, the number of foreign visitors visiting Indonesia reached 1.38 million in May 2026. In particular, about 1.19 million tourists visited the country using its international airports, whereas another 188,535 foreign visitors arrived through other entry points.
Malaysia was still found to be the biggest source market for international tourists in Indonesia in May 2026. It contributed 298,210 international tourists which constituted 21.58% of total arrivals of international tourists in May 2026. Australia was the second-biggest contributor in terms of tourist arrivals with 155,030 international tourists which made up 11.22% of total tourists.
According to Hartono, international tourists from Malaysia and Singapore showed growth both monthly and annually, showing high demand for travel from neighboring nations. Furthermore, international tourists from Australia also showed remarkable year-on-year growth, thereby underlining the significance of Australia as a key long-distance tourism market of Indonesia.
Bali continued to hold its dominance in international tourism in Indonesia with I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport being the major gateway for international tourists in Indonesia. BPS reported that the airport saw many arrivals from Australia due to the popularity of Bali as a tourist destination for leisure and beach tourism among the Australians.
Concerning the development of international tourism, the progress has also been made in terms of domestic tourism. So, according to data presented in May 2026, the number of domestic tourist visits reached 106.16 million, which demonstrates an increase of 8.83% over the previous month and 8.69% over the same period of 2025. The reason for the increase in domestic tourism is the fact that it remains the main source of total tourists' flow in the country.
During the five months of 2026, the number of domestic tourist visits was 523.22 million, which presents an increase of 2.86% compared to the same period of last year. As it has been stated by BPS, it is the highest rate of domestic tourism for the period from 2021; therefore, the country experienced a rise in its tourists' flow.
Taking into account the current tourism statistics, it should be said that Indonesia succeeded in implementing the strategy of tourism development. It includes several areas, such as the development of infrastructure, development of flight connectivity, destination development, and promotion of the country as a tourist destination.
