UK visitors to Indonesia hits record high

Figures released by the Ministry of Tourism for the Republic of Indonesia show an impressive 17.37 per cent increase in visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom, year on year.

Some 328,882 British tourists visited the Southeast Asian nation in 2016, consolidating the UK’s position as the leading European source market to Indonesia.

Granting access to the country across 19 points of entry – by air, sea and land-borders – the Ministry also highlighted significant growth for individual provinces, with Manado in North Sulawesi up by 20.2 per cent, Pekanbaru Riau in Sumatra by 24 per cent, Denpasar in Bali by 29.9 per cent and Central Jakarta’s Yogyakarta by an impressive 43.2 per cent.

Visa-free policy

As well as working closely with the Indonesian Embassy and tour operator partners to promote the destination through a series of tactical campaigns throughout 2016, the uplift in tourism from the UK to Indonesia – the largest archipelago in the world – has also been aided by the introduction of a visa-free policy in March 2016 and increased flight capacity from a number of airline partners.

Richard Hume, country manager for Indonesia in the United Kingdom, said: “We are very pleased to see the continued growth of visitors from the UK to Indonesia.

“The destination has huge potential in the UK market and with continued support from the trade and increasing accessibility we expect this growth to continue for many years to come.”