School Holidays Become Momentum to Boost Shopping Tourism and Domestic Travel

School holiday season is one of the most highly anticipated periods for people across Indonesia. Beyond being used for family vacations, this moment is also regarded as an opportunity to drive the tourism sector and boost public spending activity.

Recognising this potential, the Ministry of Tourism is supporting the implementation of the BINA Holiday & Back to School 2026 program, as an effort to encourage travel mobility for Nusantara Domestic Tourists while strengthening domestic consumption throughout the school holiday period.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa assessed that school holidays are a strategic window that can be leveraged to increase tourism activity while accelerating economic circulation across all regions nationwide.

"We hope that BINA Holiday & Back to School will deliver tangible impacts in raising public consumption levels across Indonesia, while also contributing towards the national targets of 1.176 billion Domestic Tourist trips and 16-17 million International Tourist arrivals," Ni Luh stated during the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Indonesian Shopping Center Tenants and Retailers Association (HIPPINDO) and the official launch of BINA Holiday & Back to School 2026 in Jakarta.

Running from 8 June to 12 July 2026, this program is a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Trade, HIPPINDO, and the Indonesian Shopping Center Owners Association (APPBI).

Through this program, members of the public will be able to access a wide range of attractive promotions including shopping discounts, family-oriented activities, and coordinated Shopping Tourism itineraries across various regions in Indonesia.

This is a large-scale program, involving 800 brands, 80,000 retail outlets, and 414 shopping centers spread across 24 provinces.

For the tourism sector, shopping tourism forms a core part of the overall Travel Experience. Tourists do not only visit natural or cultural destinations, but also seek out local shopping centers, MSME products, regional culinary specialties, and creative goods that represent the unique identity of each area.

According to Ni Luh, the tourism and retail sectors are deeply interconnected, as both equally contribute to driving local economic growth.

When tourists visit a region, the economic benefits are not only felt by transport and accommodation providers, but also extend to shopping centers, MSME operators, the food and beverage industry, and the local Creative Economy.

Deputy Minister of Trade Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri announced that the government is targeting a total transaction value of IDR 30 trillion from the BINA Holiday & Back to School 2026 program.

This target was not established without basis. Previously, the 2026 BINA Lebaran program recorded IDR 54.9 trillion in transactions, exceeding its initial target of IDR 53.38 trillion. This achievement serves as a strong indicator that there remains significant untapped potential for continued growth in public consumption.

To support mobility during the school holiday season, the government has prepared various travel stimulus measures. Members of the public will be eligible for discounted railway fares, PT Pelni sea transport services, and ASDP ferry crossings, with a total allocated budget of IDR 190.5 billion set to benefit over 3 million people.

Not only that, the government is providing a full 100% Government-Borne Value Added Tax (PPN DTP) incentive for economy class domestic flight tickets valid between 24 June and 5 July 2026. This policy is expected to further encourage public travel to domestic tourist destinations.

Aligned with this program, the Ministry of Tourism is running the "New Way Holiday" campaign, inviting people to explore more destinations across Indonesia.

This campaign promotes Educational Tourism, intercity road trips, visits to tourist villages, as well as family-focused cultural and culinary exploration itineraries.