For those familiar with Indonesia, you’ll know that home city pride is a real thing. From Denpasar to Medan, from Jakarta to Bandung, these (mostly) well-spirited city rivalries are a fun way to tease our Indonesian friends.
When it comes to traveling and exploring Indonesia, this competition can be a way to inspire new adventures and off-path itineraries in 2026.
Over the last week, there has been a buzz online about how this year, Yogyakarta may have welcomed more domestic tourists over the festive season than Bali.
Here at The Bali Sun, we love a bit of friendly competition, but it got us thinking. Yogyakarta certainly deserves its moment at the top of the travel charts, but is there a way that tourists can have the best of both worlds in 2026? We certainly think so.
One of the biggest travel trends we can expect to see in Indonesia in 2026 is the rise of the multi-stop vacation.
This is a travel trend that will be adopted by both international and domestic travelers, and it’s not hard to see why. Indonesia is becoming more connected than ever.
While the archipelago nation is home to more than 17,000 islands, it is easier than ever before to hop from one island to another, whether by plane, boat, or car.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism has long been on a mission to promote travel to the country’s five new Balis. Also known as the Super Priority Destinations, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Mandalika in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Likupang in North Sulawesi, and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara are all being promoted to prospective tourists to Indonesia.
Leaders are eager to ensure that visitors to Indonesia still get to feel the magic of the nation’s flagship destination, Bali, and so are encouraging holidaymakers and travellers to get imaginative, to push the boundaries of what they think could be possible.
The Ministry of Tourism wants to see tourists dream big and create multi-stop vacations. In fact, the Ministry of Tourism is making things even easier by curating ready-made itineraries for tourists to follow. The most popular of these are the 3Bs Tour, which visits North Bali, West Bali, and Banyuwangi in East Java, and the Bali, Bajo, Beyond Beautiful itinerary, which ticks off Komodo National Park and many of Bali’s best cultural wonders.
The current debate over whether Bali or Yogyakarta is more popular is something of an old trope resurfacing.
The Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office (Dispar), I Wayan Sumarajaya, has this week told reporters, “The issue of more tourists going to Yogyakarta than to Bali seems to be an old issue that has resurfaced.”
Adding “Culture is the strength of Balinese tourism. Therefore, we are pushing for improvements in service quality and tourist comfort, while ensuring that local communities also benefit from tourism.”
For tourists interested in culture, a multi-stop vacation in Bali and Yogyakarta ticks all the right boxes. Yogyakarta is considered to be one of the most important cultural hubs in all of Indonesia and is home to some of the country’s most interesting cultural heritage sites. Bali, too, of course, is one of the most culturally unique destinations in the world.
So, combining a vacation to both destinations not only gives tourists a glimpse into the culture of these unique locales but also offers a deeper understanding of Indonesia’s history and heritage across the ages.
It is easier than ever to organise a multi-stop vacation between Bali and Yogyakarta. The best bet is to fly in and out of Bali for the international leg of the journey, and book one of the many affordable daily flights from Denpasar to Yogyakarta. Must-visit cultural attractions in Yogyakarta include Kraton, Taman Sari Tourist Village, and the Sono-Budoyo Museum.
Of course, no visit to Yogjakarta would be complete without spending the day at Prambanan Temple. This 9th-century Hindu temple is one of the most important cultural landmarks in all of Asia and is not to be missed.
In Bali, top cultural attractions that complement a deep dive in Yogyakarta include a visit to the GWK Cultural Park or the Samsara Living Museum. This is in addition to heritage landmarks like Tanah Lot Temple, Tirta Empul Temple, and Gunung Kawi.
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