Growth of Religious Tourism in Indonesia Gets More Promising

Indonesia's tourism has a great potential to be developed, not only because of the amazing wealth of the country's nature, but also the wealth of its religious tourism destinations. Recently, the number of tourists who go on religious tours or pilgrimages keeps increasing significantly.

In 2015, the Tourism Ministry has experienced the shift in tourism trend from "sun, sand, and sea" to "serenity, sustainability, and spirituality". This shift is one of the main factors behind the rising number of religious tours.

Tourism Ministry Secretary General Ukus Kuswara, as cited from Kompas.com (November 22, 2015), said that in five years (2010-2015), there had been a 165% surge in religious tours.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya was also optimistic of the potential of religious tourism in Indonesia, as cited from Kemenpar.go.id. Arief Yahya stated that Indonesia has comprehensive religious-based tourism acknowledged by the world.

“The number of arrivals to religious attractions is expected to reach 12 million until the end of 2015, and to reach 18 million in five years," Arief Yahya said, as cited from Antara (November 18, 2015).

Considering the various religions embraced by Indonesians, it is no wonder that there are many worship places and sacred locations in the country, for example, Menara Kudus Mosque, Demak Great Mosque, Blenduk Church, Tanah Lot Temple, and Sam Poo Kong Temple. Those are only a few examples; there are still many other religious attractions.

Having assets and great potential, a number of regions in Indonesia have made religious attractions as the mainstay tourism attractions. For instance, in East Java, religious attractions are the tourist attractions with the highest number of visits.

In 2017, the number of foreign tourist arrivals to East Java reached 700,000, while the number of domestic tourist arrivals reached 58 million, as cited from kominfo.jatimprov.go.id.The most favorite religious attractions were Sunan Bonang Grave and Sunan Ampel Mosque Complex.

Tourism in Indonesia indeed continues to grow. The data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia in April 2018 reached 1.30 million.

"Cumulatively (January-April 2018), the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia reached 4.97 million, or higher by 13,83% than 4.36 million in the same period in 2017," BPS Head Suhariyanto said.

For domestic tourist arrivals, it was recorded in 2017 (January-October) to be reaching 277 million, with a target of 275 million in 2018.

Seeing the increasing interest in this tourism, TRAC as a subsidiary of PT Serasi Autoraya (SERA) that provides car rental service can also contribute. This is because tourism and transportation service are two sides of the same coin which are inseparable and support each other.

Tourism sector will grow even further if supported by trusted transportation service. Thus, TRAC that is also an affiliate of Astra is present to offer the best services for the tourism sector.

TRAC offers vehicle rental services for various needs, such as business trips, family events, and vacations to tourism destinations. TRAC also provides many options of cars that can be chosen according to your needs.

Moreover, TRAC offers rental of various types of buses, frombig bus, medium bus, small bus, to luxury bus. TRAC also presents the services of professional drivers who always prioritize safety and comfort.

With its potential, religious tourism in Indonesia may grow even more rapidly in the future. TRAC as a trusted transportation service provider is ready to contribute its best to support the development of national tourism sector.

To find out more about TRAC’s services, you can visit this page.