Indonesia has been named as one of the world’s top ten destinations for travel, according to a recent report from the Mastercard Economics Institute. The results are based on data related to spending by Asia Pacific travellers and reveals their most popular destinations of choice.
The latest news comes follows a range of positive trends in the tourism sector, with business and leisure flight bookings for January to April 2022 now officially higher than pre-pandemic levels. As travellers take to the skies once more, Indonesia is emerging as a destination of choice for many in the post-pandemic era.
“As border restrictions relax, we have witnessed an accelerated return to travel that indicates cause for optimism, with the region poised to swiftly catch up with the rest of the world,” explains David Mann, who is the chief economist for Asia Pacific and Middle East Africa at the Mastercard Economics Institute. He predicts 2022 will turn out to be a bumper year for tourism in Asia Pacific.
The report also revealed that travellers are prioritising ease of travel and access in their choice of holiday destination, with Indonesia’s relatively straightforward entry requirements providing a major incentive. Elsewhere, more stringent entry requirements, quarantine procedures, travel restrictions and various testing protocols have acted as a deterrent.
The situation is expected to evolve in the months ahead, as safety measures are lifted and borders reopen in more locations worldwide. As Mann explains, “the trend is likely to shift in favour of intra-regional travel, as restrictions are relaxed and domestic travel picks up again.”
The top ten travel destinations in Asia Pacific, according to the Mastercard Economics Institute, are the USA, Australia, Singapore, the UK, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Germany, Malaysia and the Philippines.
