Heaptalk, Jakarta—The increased movement of people during the homecoming season and Eid holidays this year has significantly impacted the tourism and creative economy sector. Economic turnover is estimated at Rp369.8 trillion, approximately US$22.8 billion (US$1 equals Rp16,175).
“This calculation is based on the estimated number of people’s movements recorded by the Ministry of Transportation, as well as the percentage of people who travel and the average tourist expenditure based on survey results from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy,” said Tourism and Creative Economy Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Nia Niscaya in The Weekly Brief With Nia Niscaya in Jakarta some time ago.
Further, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy surveyed domestic tourists’ activity preferences during the 2024 Eid holiday, involving 1,756 respondents. The result shows that the people’s most considerable tourist attraction preference is beaches/lakes (56.1%), followed by culinary centers (50.8%), mountains/agritourism (41.9%), recreation parks/zoos (29.9%), and shopping centers (26.6%). The duration includes a day trip (49.5%) and two to four days (36.2%). As for accommodation preferences, respondents preferred using star hotels (34.5%) and family accommodation (26.9%).
During Eid homecoming 2024, the favorite tourist destinations include Malioboro, Ciwidey, Pangandaran, Parangtritis, Puncak Bogor, Ragunan, Lembang, Borobudur, and Bromo. “Indeed, statistically, the largest movement of foreign tourists is on (the island of) Java since the number (population) is large with adequate infrastructure development, making it easier for domestic tourists during the homecoming and Eid holidays,” said Nia.
The average travel expenditure per person is estimated at Rp2.73 million. Accommodation is the largest expenditure, followed by transportation, food and drink, and souvenirs. She said, “The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will continue to coordinate with diverse parties such as Bank Indonesia, BPS, Ministry of Transportation, and the Regional Government regarding the realization of the economic turnaround in the tourism and creative sector during the 2024 Eid homecoming period.”
Despite the economic impact, said Nia, the Ministry underlined several issues when there was a surge in visitors to destinations during the 2024 Eid holiday. Based on monitoring by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy via https://sisparnas.kemenparekraf.go.id and various sources, these issues include traffic jams at various points, natural and non-natural disasters, abundant waste generation, and reports of illegal levies still occurring in several tourist destinations.
“Providing parking bags needs to be a concern for stakeholders in each destination. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy also recommends that the Regional Government disseminate the Government’s commitment to maintaining conduciveness in tourist areas by involving relevant parties, particularly in efforts to prevent and overcome extortion practices in tourist destinations actively,” concluded Nia.
