Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 07:26 AM UTC

Indonesia aims to broaden foreign tourist spending across archipelago

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Fitra Ashari, Uyu Liman

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism and multinational payment company Mastercard to spread the economic benefits of international tourism to more regions across the country.

Through the newly launched Garuda Indonesia Stopover Program, the airline aims to leverage its domestic network to connect foreign visitors to secondary destinations beyond the country's primary entry points.

"As Indonesia's national flag carrier, Garuda plays a strategic role in connecting foreign tourists not only to our main gateways but to various destinations throughout our domestic network," Garuda Indonesia’s Acting Commercial Director Mukhtaris said in a statement released here on Monday (October 5).

He explained that the program allows eligible international passengers on specific long-haul and regional routes to add domestic connecting flights to participating destinations at no additional cost when booking their tickets.

The initiative is designed to shift foreign travel patterns — which traditionally concentrate around primary entry hubs — into multi-destination journeys. This shift is expected to extend visitors' length of stay while boosting regional economies.

According to 2025 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), foreign tourist arrivals remain heavily concentrated in Bali, which recorded 6.9 million visits, and Jakarta, with 2.8 million visits.

"Through the Garuda Indonesia Stopover Program, we aim to provide added value to journeys to Indonesia by offering tourists more choices to continue their domestic travel," Mukhtaris remarked.

Addressing the unequal distribution of tourist spending, Country Manager of Mastercard Indonesia Aileen Goh said the company is leveraging its global network and data-driven consumer insights to steer visitor flows beyond these primary hubs.

"Through access to our global cardholder network, we are channeling cross-border spending directly to regional tourism ecosystems, local artisans, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the archipelago," Goh said.

Mastercard will also use digital channels to target foreign tourists who have already arrived in Bali, encouraging them to seamlessly add domestic destinations to their existing itineraries.

Targeted destinations for this travel expansion include Lake Toba, Borobudur Temple, Mandalika, and Labuan Bajo — all of which are designated as Indonesia's Super Priority Tourism Destinations and are poised to benefit directly from increased visitor spending.

Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism Ni Made Ayu Marthini emphasized that public-private collaboration is vital to ensure tourism growth delivers a widespread economic impact.

"Initiatives like the Garuda Indonesia Stopover Program encourage foreign tourists to explore new destinations, ensuring that the economic turnover from tourism is felt directly by local communities and MSME players throughout Indonesia," Marthini stated.

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