Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea continue to reign among the top destinations for Indonesian outbound travellers while interest in Australia is on the rise, observe industry members at the ASTINDO Fair in Jakarta last weekend.
Speaking to TTG Asia on the sideline of ASTINDO Fair, Ketut Wijaya, vice president consumer banking at BCA Bank, the official bank for the event, said: “We are seeing more travellers looking for (edu-tourism) when travelling with family, where their children can learn about local culture and tradition during their holidays.
Indonesians seek attractions they can’t find at home; Shikisai-no-oka, Hokkaido pictured
“Travellers tend to look for a destination which provide attractions they cannot find in the country. Japan is a good example for this, with its different climate, culture, cuisine and attractions (from Indonesia),” he said.
BCA Bank currently has some three million credit card holders and travel-related expenses rank among the top five spending for its members, said Ketut.
And as the middle class swells in Indonesia, cashbacks and instalment for package payment and overseas spending with zero interest from banks like BCA are important in stimulating traffic during travel fairs, said Rudiana, director of sales of WITA Tour and chairman of the ASTINDO Fair Organising Committee.
He added: “The aggressive promotional efforts from various NTOs and airlines, especially during travel fairs like this, help boost traffic.”
Social media remains a powerful influencer among Indonesians, pointed out Rudiana, as travellers tend to emulate the travel decisions of their friends and families. Japan’s sakura season is one classic example, so much so that rooms are hard to get during this period, he shared.
The seventh ASTINDO Fair was organised from March 24-26 in Jakarta with transactions estimated to reach between 75 billion rupiah (US$5.6 million) and 100 billion rupiah, 25 per cent higher than last year.
