2026 School Holidays Just Got More Affordable! Big Discounts Are Available For Train, Ship, And Even Airplane Tickets.

The 2026 School Holiday period presents the ideal moment for the public to explore various Tourism Destinations across Indonesia. Alongside longer available travel windows, the government has reintroduced stimulus measures in the form of cross-transport-mode fare discounts that make overall travel costs significantly more affordable.

This policy is designed not only to enable the public to take holidays at reduced expense, but also to act as a catalyst for the recovery of the tourism sector and local economies that are fundamentally dependent on tourist mobility.

Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi confirmed the government will provide these transport incentives throughout the 2026 school holiday period, as well as the 2026/2027 Christmas and New Year season.

"In accordance with instructions from President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, to preserve public purchasing power and maintain price stability, the government is reimplementing transport fare discount policies for the 2026 school holidays, Christmas and 2026/2027 New Year holiday periods," the Minister stated in an official announcement made in Jakarta on Saturday, 20 June 2026.

For travellers, this policy opens up the possibility of arranging far more flexible travel itineraries without incurring excessive costs. Nature trips, Cultural Tourism, and inter-island travel can all now be planned with a much more efficient budget.

According to Dudy, this programme embodies the government's commitment to delivering safe, secure and comfortable transport services during periods of elevated public mobility.

He explained that the incentives are intended to reduce household travel cost burdens, while simultaneously stimulating wider economic activity throughout the holiday season.

He further noted that this policy represents tangible government support to enable all members of the public to travel at accessible, affordable rates.

"We hope these incentives will be used optimally by the public, while delivering positive spillover benefits for the transport sector, tourism industry and the entire national economy," the Transport Minister added.

This programme is legally established via a Joint Decree between the Minister of Transportation, Minister of Finance, and Head of the Anagata Nusantara Power Investment Management Agency (Danantara), which mandates state-owned transport enterprises to implement these public fare discounts.

This regulation forms the formal operational basis for this economic stimulus measure through transport fare reductions for the 2026 school holidays, 2026 Christmas and 2027 New Year periods.

Full details of transport incentives available to the public during the 2026 school holidays are as follows:

• 30% discount on all commercial economy class railway services, valid from 20 June to 5 July 2026.

• 30% discount on all economy class passenger sea ferry routes, valid from 20 June to 15 August 2026.

• 100% waiver of port service fees for foot passengers, Category II and IVA vehicles across 14 ports on 7 designated crossing routes, valid from 20 June to 5 July 2026.

• 100% Government-Borne VAT (PPN DTP) exemption for all scheduled economy class domestic air tickets, valid from 24 June to 5 July 2026.

Notably, the crossing routes included in this incentive scheme form the strategic access corridors to Indonesia's most popular tourist destinations. This includes the Merak-Bakauheni route which serves as the main gateway to Sumatra, the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing connecting Java and Bali, as well as the Sape-Labuan Bajo route which provides primary access to one of Indonesia's Super Priority Tourism Destinations.

Additional covered routes include Lembar-Padangbai, Kayangan-Pototano, Tanjung Uban-Telaga Punggur and Ajibata-Ambarita, all established critical travel corridors for both Domestic Tourists and international visitors.

This policy is projected to drive increased tourist arrivals across all regions. With reduced transport costs, the public will have greater opportunity to explore new destinations, extend holiday stays and increase discretionary tourist spending at travel locations.

While delivering these affordability measures, the government emphasised that safety, security and passenger comfort will remain the absolute top priority for all transport operations during both the school holiday period and the Year End Holiday season.

For members of the public who have been planning trips well in advance, this Transport Discount programme provides the opportunity to realise planned travel itineraries at reduced cost, while also supporting the growth of Indonesia's national tourism sector.