Skyscanner reveals Indonesia’s top travel destinations in 2017

• Solo and Belitung in Tanjung Pandan top the list in terms of fastest growth
• Penang experienced a 60% upswing in travel searches from Indonesia in 2016

GLOBAL travel search engine Skyscanner released data on the travel behaviour of users in Indonesia, revealing trends that show which destinations will be the most popular foreign and domestic places to visit for locals in the world’s largest archipelago.

According to global research firm McKinsey, Indonesia is among fastest growing emerging markets in the world today, with a budding middle-class that is gaining more disposable income on average each year.

Indonesia's economy could become the world's seventh largest by 2030, up from 16th today.

With more disposable income comes more travel. Yulianto Balawan, Skyscanner’s senior marketing manager for Indonesia said that the data clearly shows a rising number of locals may be intending to travel, and indeed more frequently as well.

“Increasingly, Indonesian travellers are becoming savvier. They want to have the independence to plan their own trips, and they are always looking for the best promo fares and cheapest prices,” explained Balawan.

He added that based on Skyscanner search patterns in 2016, the top ten fastest growing destinations in order are Seoul, Belitung (pic), Solo, Tokyo, Osaka, Penang, Bandung, London, Male, and Batam.

Balawan confirmed that Belitung and Solo were the fastest growing destinations of interest in Indonesia during 2016, as per Skyscanner’s user behaviour data, and will continue to be during 2017.

Belitung experienced a 90% increase in travel searches, while Solo saw a 79% increase. This suggests an appetite for off-the-beaten-path experiences and authentic local lifestyle experiences.

Balawan said, “The key element of this data set is the percentage increase of searches and interest for each destination in 2015 pitted against the figures in 2016. This shows how trending a destination was last year, and how the trends are predicted to continue into 2017.”

According to Skyscanner data, Seoul saw a surge of Indonesian traveller interest in 2016, with a whopping 100% increase overall. Tokyo had a 66% increase, while Osaka enjoyed a 60% uptick. Penang in Malaysia also experienced a 60% upswing in travel searches from Indonesia.

“These international travel trends naturally come from the fact that more and more countries, such as Japan and South Korea, have eased visa restrictions for Indonesians in 2016. This has made trips to those countries simpler and seamless for Indonesians and will help these destinations grow in popularity in 2017,” said Balawan.

Skyscanner not only searches but also compares and shows all available flights, hotels, and cars for hire from its direct partners. This, in turn, helps Indonesian travellers, as they get to see the best options for them and book directly from their preferred supplier.

Skyscanner also offers price alerts, whereby users can set up email notifications to monitor the prices of their desired routes, even if they’re not yet ready to book.

Balawan said that businesses could also capitalise on Skyscanner’s travel behaviour data from Indonesian users.

According to him, to capture an increasing demand for travel to South Korea and Japan, small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesia and abroad could potentially push for more travel packages and products related to those destinations.

“For instance, tour operators could offer food-hunting themed trips in Tokyo or K-Pop themed trips to Seoul, and more. This could help them ride the growth of Indonesian interest in these destinations, while also supporting it.” 

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