A growing number of Indonesian holidaymakers flock to China instead this year, drawn by both hyper-modern skylines and ancient wonders, fueling a surge in outbound travel during the summer travel season.
For frequent Indonesian traveler Indah, the transformation is nothing short of breathtaking. Having watched China evolve from its early days of economic opening to a sprawling, modern country across multiple visits over the years, she has marveled at the sheer scale of change.
"If you want to be modern, China has modernity now. Maybe it's much more modern," said Indah.
That sentiment has been translating into booming business numbers.
According to major Indonesian travel agency Avia Tour, China has consistently remained its most crucial outbound tourism destination for years.
Timothy Minardi, a manager at Avia Tour, noted that the appetite for travel to China is climbing sharply.
"I think this year we have about roughly 19,000 to 20,000 tourists coming relative to last year. Last year there's about 16,000, so about 20 percent increase," said Mandiri.
Indonesia sees surge in tourism to China
