Indonesia's Tourism: Lessons from Vietnam

Indonesia’s tourism industry, long considered a key pillar of the economy, faces significant challenges. According to data from the ASEAN Statistics Division in 2024, Indonesia ranks fifth in international tourist visits, trailing behind countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. This downturn raises an important question: why has Vietnam, which previously lagged significantly behind, surpassed Indonesia?

Senior Analyst at NEXT Indonesia Center, Sandy Pramuji, notes that it is crucial to stop relying solely on Bali and start developing new destinations. Vietnam has shown impressive results due to ambitious infrastructure development, particularly with the construction of Long Thanh Airport, aimed at handling up to 100 million passengers annually.

Indonesia needs to rethink its strategy to keep up with competitors like Thailand, attracting millions of Chinese tourists. Without improvements in transportation accessibility and new initiatives, Indonesia risks remaining a spectator. The pressing task is to find new tourist magnets and optimize infrastructure to increase the country’s appeal in the tourism market.

Sandy adds that solving these issues is key to regaining a leading position in the Asian tourism market, including fixing routes, reducing high domestic transportation costs, and creating new competitive advantages to attract international tourists.