Long Holiday for Isra Miraj, KAI Prepares Hundreds of Thousands of Seats for Inter-City Travel

Long holidays often serve as an unwritten invitation to travel to other cities and discover new stories along the journey. Welcoming the extended Isra Miraj 2026 Holiday on January 16th, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) is preparing to transform railway tracks into tourist routes.

A total of 649,780 seats have been prepared to serve the movement of people Traveling to various destinations, from cultural cities and culinary hubs to popular tourist areas.

The Tourist Journey Has Begun

Travel interest has been evident since the start of the holiday period. As of January 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM Western Indonesia Time (WIB), ticket sales have surpassed half of the available capacity.

KAI Vice President of Corporate Communication Anne Purba stated that by January 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM WIB, ticket sales had reached 347,381 tickets, representing an occupancy rate of 53.46 percent.

Passenger movement isn't concentrated on just one day. Travel patterns show a spread from the middle to the end of the holiday Weekend.

"This pattern reflects increased travel activity leading up to the end of the long holiday weekend," said Anne.

She added that this pattern reflects the behavior of modern tourists. They no longer depart and return on the same day but spread out their travel time to avoid congestion.

Railways as Tourist Routes

To ensure smooth travel, KAI is also operating additional trains offering nearly 45,791 extra seats. This comprises 34,287 executive class seats and 11,504 economy class seats.

The most popular routes are dominated by those heading to cities with strong Tourism and cultural appeal, such as Yogyakarta, Bandung, and Semarang.

"During this long holiday period, the routes with the highest passenger volumes are dominated by those heading to Tourist Cities and cultural centers," said Anne.

KAI recorded the top 10 most popular routes as: Yogyakarta-Gambir (6,764 passengers); Gambir-Yogyakarta (6,469); Lempuyangan-Pasar Senen (5,244); Pasar Senen-Lempuyangan (4,829); Gambir-Semarang Tawang (3,741); Semarang Tawang-Gambir (3,545); Gambir-Bandung (3,402); Bandung-Gambir (3,296); Yogyakarta-Gambir (3,110); and Bandung-Yogyakarta (3,004).

Anne stated that rail-based connectivity provides travel convenience, positively impacting economic activities in destination areas during the long holiday.

Hotels, restaurants, museums, art markets, and heritage areas all become part of the ecosystem activated by the arrival of train passengers.(ANTARA)