RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - A noteworthy change in societal behavior is seen in the homecoming travel trend for 2026. This trend has changed from the past, when many individuals purchased tickets only a few days before their flight, to one that is now more intentional and planned in advance.

According to Andi Hendrawan, Director of Transportation at tiket.com, homecoming is no longer just a trip home to one's hometown, but also a family vacation.

"So, there's been a significant change in our community's trend towards homecoming, because homecoming isn't just about going back to one's hometown. Sometimes, people also use this time to vacation there," Andi said at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, February 23, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

According to a YouGov Indonesia survey, in 2025, around 38 percent of people still booked tickets one week before departure, with the peak period occurring two to six days before Eid. However, in 2026, this pattern changed drastically. In 2026, the trend of booking airline tickets ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, from the first week of January to the second week of February, increased.

"The increase in airline ticket bookings was around 50 percent, followed by a 56 percent increase for train tickets," said Andi.

Additionally, Andi said that Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Pekanbaru are just a few of the places that are expected to be packed with tourists during the homecoming season. Meanwhile, Bali is a favorite destination for air travelers. For train routes, the popular areas are Yogyakarta, Semarang, Cirebon, and Surabaya.

He claims that the government stimulus, in terms of taxes and measures to reduce ticket costs, is one reason for the great public excitement for this year's Eid homecoming.

""Prices are definitely lower than in past years. We can see this price stimulus, the increase in transactions since its announcement, the increase in transactions for the Eid period, and the date of travel during the Eid period has increased significantly, almost doubling compared to the previous period," he said. ***