Middle Class Indonesians to take 255 Million Domestic Trips in 2013

With a burgeoning middle class, it is estimated that the number of domesticf trips taken by Indonesians this year wil increase by 10 million to reach 255 million, up from the 245 million trips made in 2012”, said Dr. Sapta Nirwandar, Deputy Minister of the Ministry for Tourism and Creative Economy at the opening of the Astindo Fair in Jakarta Friday, 22 March.

Indonesia today counts some 100 million people in the upper middle class category, continued Nirwandar, comprising 19 percent of the population, which is a significant increase from the former 15 percent share.

This growth has boosted flights to the different Indonesian cities. When previously there were only three flights daily to Palembang in South Sumatra, now the city receives no less than 27 flights daily. Yogyakarta that formerly received 78 flights, today receives 100 flights per day, Similarly, Lampung in the southern part of Sumatra,that once received only one flight a day, now sees 8 flights daily.

On the other hand, Elly Hutabarat, Chairperson of the Association of Air Ticket Agents (Astindo), said that outbound Indonesians have also increased to between 7.5.million to 8 million per year, supported by easier visa regulations in many countries. Favorite destinations for Indonesians are Western Europe, Turkey and China, said Elly.

(Source: Kompas)