Indonesia Eyes More Japanese Tourists Beyond Bali Through TEJ 2026

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's tourism promotion efforts in Japan have generated the potential for 5,600 tourist arrivals, with estimated foreign exchange earnings of USD 7.168 million.

The potential stems from Indonesia's participation in Tourism Expo Japan (TEJ) 2026, held from Sept. 24 to 27 at Tokyo Big Sight.

"This achievement indicates market opportunities that can be pursued through stronger business communication and the development of tour packages tailored to the interests of Japanese tourists," Tourism Ministry Marketing Deputy Ni Made Ayu Marthini said in a statement on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

TEJ 2026 featured participants from 40 countries, around 400 co-exhibitors, 500 booths, and more than 44,000 visitors.

Indonesia showcased its 54-square-meter Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion, featuring eight tourism industry players: Garuda Indonesia, Wendy Tour, Menjaga Bay Hotel, Kuno Villas, DMC White Tiger Bali, The Yoga Barn, Adventure Indonesia, and The Mulia Resorts & Villas.

In addition to promoting tourist destinations, the pavilion offered interactive activities, including the Indonesia Coffee Corner, which served coffee from Temanggung, Central Java, as well as cultural performances from Bali, North Sumatra and East Nusa Tenggara.

The ministry also surveyed 1,614 visitors to the Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion. The survey found that 63.3 percent of respondents had never visited Indonesia, while 36.7 percent had previously traveled there.

Bali emerged as the most popular destination, attracting 86.2 percent of respondents. It was followed by Komodo Island and Labuan Bajo at 5.3 percent, Borobudur at 4 percent, Raja Ampat at 1.7 percent, Lake Toba at 1.5 percent, and Lombok at 1.2 percent.

"These findings provide a basis for strengthening Indonesia's promotional strategy in Japan, particularly by leveraging Bali as a gateway to introduce other destinations," Made said.

The ministry is encouraging the development of travel packages that combine Bali with destinations such as Labuan Bajo, Yogyakarta, Manado, Lake Toba and Lombok to help spread Japanese tourist arrivals more evenly across Indonesia. ***