Jakarta Tourism Promotion: Monopoly as a New Strategy to Introduce the Capital City's Icons to Tourists

Jakarta does not want to be known only for its skyscrapers, shopping malls, or Business districts. Ahead of its 500th anniversary celebration in 2027, the capital city is beginning to showcase its tourism identity through an approach closely tied to daily life: the Monopoly board game.

Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) has launched Monopoly: Jakarta Edition as a promotional medium to introduce a wider range of tourist destinations, city landmarks, urban areas, as well as local brands and communities.

Through this strategy, it is hoped that travellers will be encouraged to explore Jakarta, including locations outside their usual main visit itineraries.

"This comes at perfect timing as we approach Jakarta's 500th anniversary. This is considered a preliminary step to creatively introduce Indonesian Tourism to the wider world," stated Masruroh, Expert Staff to the Minister for Digital Transformation and Tourism Innovation at the Ministry of Tourism, in Jakarta.

Masruroh explained that the collaboration with Monopoly and various private entities is one method to expand the reach of Tourism Promotion. Destinations, city icons, urban neighbourhoods, local brands and communities will all be introduced through this globally popular game.

The Ministry of Tourism is not only targeting domestic audiences. This game is also expected to reach international visitors, including those who have visited Jakarta multiple times but remain unfamiliar with the full range of destinations available in the capital.

"For example, we want Malaysian Travellers to not only know Blok M or Thamrin City. Through this Monopoly edition, we will show them there are many other destinations in Jakarta beyond the places they usually visit," she said.

The end goal goes beyond simply making destination names more recognisable. The Ministry of Tourism hopes that the interest sparked while playing the game will translate into actual travel plans and on-site visits. As travellers explore more locations, it is expected that they will no longer only pass through Jakarta for short stays.

"Ultimately this will increase visitor length of stay, that is the core direction of this initiative," she added.

This target aligns with the scale of Domestic Tourist movement into Jakarta. Data from the Ministry of Tourism shows that DKI Jakarta recorded approximately 99.4 million domestic Nusantara Traveller trips throughout 2025.

Meanwhile, as of August 2026, domestic visitor arrivals to Jakarta reached 9.14 million trips, marking a 12.53% growth compared to the same period the previous year.

These arrival figures demonstrate the massive scale of domestic tourism activity in the capital. The challenge lies in expanding visitor experiences: encouraging guests not only to visit popular landmarks, but also to discover other neighbourhoods, enjoy local cuisine, visit cultural spaces, and try the various available Public Transport options.

Firnandi Gufron, Assistant Deputy for Tourism Marketing Strategy and Communications at the Ministry of Tourism, assessed that board game promotions remain relevant even as society becomes increasingly accustomed to digital technology.

He noted that Monopoly holds cross-generational appeal, and can act as an entry point to introduce Indonesia to players from all around the world.

"This does not only target Indonesians, this will reach international players too. This is our opportunity to introduce Indonesia to them," he stated.

Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana first presented Monopoly: Jakarta Edition in a limited preview at the 2026 World Travel Market (WTM) London, held 3-5 November. The game was then officially launched in Jakarta on 11 November 2026.

This launch coincides with the lead-up events for Jakarta's 500th anniversary, which will hold its peak celebration on 22 June 2027.

This milestone allows city promotion efforts to not only highlight historical heritage and classic landmarks, but also showcase the development of urban areas, local creative communities, and new travel experiences available for visitors.

Moving forward, Masruroh expressed hope that this board game promotion concept can be adapted and expanded for other cities across Indonesia.

In this way, Monopoly: Jakarta Edition will not remain just a one-off promotional product, but mark the start of a creative approach to introduce more Indonesian destinations to the global market.

Ultimately, the success of this strategy will be measured not by how many players recognise place names on the game board, but by how many are motivated to visit those locations in person.

Jakarta is turning a board game into travel inspiration, while also creating more reasons for visitors to stay longer in the capital.