Indonesia Targets 5,600 Japanese Tourists from Tourism Expo Japan 2026, with Potential Foreign Exchange Revenue of IDR 127 Billion.

Indonesia has once again turned its focus towards the Japanese tourist market. Indonesia's participation in Tourism Expo Japan (TEJ) 2026 held in Tokyo has generated potential visitor numbers of around 5,600 tourists, with an estimated foreign exchange yield of US$7.168 million, equivalent to approximately IDR 127 billion.

Tourism Expo Japan 2026 will be held 24–27 September 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight, Japan. At this event, Indonesia operates a Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion to showcase a wide range of tourism experiences to the Japanese market.

The Ministry of Tourism has stated that this 5,600 figure is only preliminary potential visitor numbers, which will require follow-up action through business communications and the development of travel packages tailored to the characteristics of Japanese tourists.

“This achievement indicates available market opportunities that can be pursued by strengthening business communications and developing tourism packages aligned with the interests of Japanese travellers,” stated Ni Made Ayu Marthini, Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism.

At the exhibition, Indonesia did not only promote natural Tourism Destinations. Visitors were also introduced to culture-based experiences, wellness offerings, and gastronomy, all of which form part of Indonesia's rich tourism assets.

TEJ 2026 is attended by 40 countries, with around 400 co-exhibitors across 500 booths. The Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion occupies a 54 square metre space, and features eight Indonesian Tourism industry participants representing the aviation, Travel Services, accommodation, destination management and tourism attraction sectors.

Notably, the Ministry of Tourism also conducted a survey of 1,614 visitors to the Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion. Results showed that 63.3% of respondents had never visited Indonesia, while the remaining 36.7% had previously travelled to the country.

Among the destinations on offer, Bali remained the most popular choice with 86.2% of respondents selecting it. Following Bali, visitor preferences included Komodo Island and Labuan Bajo at 5.3%, Borobudur at 4%, Raja Ampat at 1.7%, Lake Toba at 1.5% and Lombok at 1.2%.

This data is used as one of the foundations for government efforts to encourage Japanese tourists to explore more of Indonesia beyond Bali. The Ministry of Tourism plans to strengthen promotion efforts by pairing well-established popular destinations with other locations including Labuan Bajo, Yogyakarta, Manado, Lake Toba and Lombok.

“The Japanese market holds significant potential for Indonesian tourism. Through our participation in TEJ 2026, we are not only introducing Indonesia's flagship destinations, but also building direct relationships with Japanese industry partners to open up opportunities for sustainable cooperation,” stated Made.

Efforts to expand penetration in the Japanese market also included a Networking Dinner, which brought the eight Indonesian tourism industry participants together with 20 prospective buyers from Japan. This meeting served as a platform to present tourism products, as well as to explore collaborative development of travel packages to Indonesia.

In addition, the Ministry of Tourism held meetings with Japan Airlines (JAL) to discuss developments in the Japanese tourist market, including opportunities to develop Premium Tourism segments and Familiarization Trip programmes for Japanese travel agents and tour operators.

One travel concept currently being explored is combined travel packages covering Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Labuan Bajo. This strategy is intended to provide travellers with more destination options within a single trip.

With the 5,600 potential visitor numbers recorded from Indonesia's participation in Tourism Expo Japan 2026, the Japanese market has once again demonstrated major opportunities for Indonesia's tourism industry. The next challenge will be converting this potential into actual travel, through relevant tourism packages, adequate connectivity, and experiences designed to match the preferences of Japanese tourists.