The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism has announced that it will strengthen ties with India in an effort to attract more tourists from the subcontinent to the archipelago.
Bolstered connections between Indonesia and India bring a wealth of benefits to tourists, including those from other countries.
The Head of Marketing at the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, spoke to the press about Indonesia’s participation in South Asia’s Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) 2025 which was held from 19th-21st February 2025.
She shared, “The participation of the Ministry of Tourism in SATTE 2025 is one of the efforts to maintain the existence of Indonesian tourism in the South Asian region and increase the visit of tourists from India to Indonesia.”
The event, held in New Delhi, India, brought together tourism leaders from across South Asia. Representatives from Indonesia were present to promote some of the country’s leading destinations, including Bali.
Top Indonesian destinations also brought front and center during the event were Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, and Likupang in North Sulawesi.
These are the destinations known as the ‘five new Bali’s’ or the Tourism Ministry’s super-priority destinations.
Marthini revealed that the Indian tourism market holds some of the highest potential for Indonesia, of all global travel markets.
Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2024 shows that the number of Indian tourists who visited Indonesia reached 710,688 people, an increase of about 17.2% in 2023. The majority of these 710,000 tourists visited Bali. In fact, India ranks sixth in the list of countries that contribute the most tourists to Indonesia nationally after Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, China, and Timor Leste.
Figures published by the Directorate General of Immigration in January 2025 also show that India is ranked third after Australia and China in the list of the top twenty countries of origin for international tourists to Bali.
Boosted relationships between India and Indonesia bring about the potential for more diverse travel experiences for all Bali tourists. As Indonesia looks to make it easier for Indian nationals to visit destinations such as Bali, more flight routes are expected to open up.
For tourists traveling to Indonesia from Europe and the Americas, more layover options could be on the cards.
At present, many long-haul travelers to Bali transit to destinations in the Middle East or in cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Increased flight connection options can mean tourists have more chance of securing a low-cost deal.
The President Director of Injourney Airport, Faik Fahmi, confirmed to reporters last month that more flight services are due to be launched from Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport this year.
Fahmi shared, “The addition of these routes is part of the strategy to increase air connectivity and support the growth of the tourism and economic sectors in Bali and Indonesia in general.”
Fahmi revealed that the new international services will connect Denpasar with Bangalore, India, Canberra, Australia, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Moscow, Russia, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Phuket, Thailand, Busan, South Korea, and Shanghai, China.
In 2024, a new flight service was launched between New Delhi and Denpasar, the daily flight service made it easier than ever for Indian tourists to visit Bali.
March 2024 also saw a surge in the demand for Indian food in Bali, and it wasn’t only Indian tourists who were seeking it out.
One restauranteur, Leslie Jerome Gomeze, from Seminyak’s famed Prana Indian Restaurant Bali on Jalan Sunset, realized to reporters that their North Indian menu was becoming increasingly popular.
Gomeze told reporters “The culinary delights of North India are acceptable to everyone. One of them is chicken biryani. It can be seen from our guests that 50% are from India and 50% are non-Indian. Our guests from Australia are about 24%, we find Japanese tourists also like Indian food, and Turkish tourists too.”
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