Key insights:

  • Domestic travel dominates: Bali and Lombok lead as the top travel destinations, far ahead of Japan, Singapore, and Switzerland.
  • Natural beauty and accessibility drive decisions: 63% of Indonesians cite natural scenery and 60% transport availability as factors influencing their holiday destinations.
  • Future travel intent mirrors current habits: Beach vacations (48%), city breaks (38%), and family visits (36%) remain the top choices, reinforcing the preference for familiar, nearby getaways.

Travel preferences offer a glimpse into how people choose to spend their holidays. In Indonesia, the data points to a clear tendency to stay close to home. This article explores where Indonesians prefer to travel, why nearby destinations dominate their choices, and what their intent looks like for their next vacation, drawing on insights from YouGov DestinationIndex and Profiles data.

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Based on DestinationIndex data from last 12 months, Bali ranks first with an Index score of 51, followed by Lombok (39), Japan (36), Singapore (24), and Switzerland (20). Among the top ten destinations, two are domestic—Bali and Lombok islands—both scoring considerably higher than any international location. The notable gap between domestic and overseas scores highlights Indonesians’ strong preference for local destinations, while Japan (35) and Singapore (24) lead among international options, underscoring the appeal of short-haul trips within Asia.

What Influences Indonesians’ Travel Choices

When asked, “Thinking of your most recent holiday, which, if any, of the following influenced your choice of destination?”, respondents most often cite outstanding natural beauty (63%) and availability of transportation (60%) as key factors. Low cost (52%) and overall value for money (51%) also play a major role, followed by temperature and climate (45%) and recommendations from others (31%), indicating that Indonesians prioritize destinations that combine affordability, accessibility, and natural beauty.

Vacation Intent for the Next 12 Months

These preferences are also reflected in where Indonesians plan to travel next. Profiles data shows that nearly half of the respondents prefer beach vacations (48% ) as the most popular choice for the year ahead, followed by city breaks (38%) and visiting family or friends (36%).

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Walking or hiking trips (30%) and sightseeing vacations (29%) also feature strongly. Fewer intend to take safari or wildlife trips (17%) or camping holidays (16%). The data indicates that Indonesians are likely to continue prioritising relaxing, familiar, and easily accessible experiences over long-haul or luxury travel.

Methodology:

YouGov DestinationIndex is a daily brand tracking tool that measures perceptions of travel destinations across multiple markets. Figures are based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Data for Indonesia is online representative and weighted by age, gender, and SES (socio-economic status) using raking. Results are presented as net scores from –100 to +100 for index metric and reflect responses collected between 14 October 2024 and 14 October 2025.

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between 14 October 2024 and 14 October 2025, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data for Indonesia is online representative and weighted by age, gender and region.

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