Despite the odd seasonal dip, Indonesia remains Australia’s number-one overseas destination. But it doesn’t take a travel genius to work out why. We continue to swarm to Bali.
That comes with increasingly intense problems. Overtourism is just the beginning – it gives rise to pressures on infrastructure, waste and local communities as villages and rice paddies are turned over to development.
Bali’s been taking a stand, enforcing rules on bad behaviour as well as the spread of expat businesses squeezing out Balinese operators.
If that’s the stick, the Indonesian government is now using the carrot approach to alleviation.
The national airline, Garuda Indonesia, has announced 170,845 complimentary domestic seats to 33 Indonesian destinations for international passengers travelling until November 30. Jakarta and Bali are not included.
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(If the number seems oddly specific, it carries an Easter egg. August 17, 1945 is Indonesia’s Independence Day.)
The free domestic flights depart from Indonesia’s two major international gateways, Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport and Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, connecting travellers onwards to more than 30 destinations across the archipelago. So Australians can still have their Bali holiday – then use Bali as the jumping-off point for somewhere else.
Garuda Indonesia executive Prina Eka Putri says the free domestic flight program isn’t so much designed to divert people from Bali in the first instance, but to encourage them to pair it with another Indonesian destination. Think Bali then Yogyakarta, Komodo/Labuan Bajo, Lombok, Sumatra or Sulawesi.
“Indonesia boasts a wealth of diverse destinations, and we see a significant opportunity to make every trip to Indonesia a more enriching experience,” says Putri. “Through this program, we aim to provide a stronger incentive for international travellers not only to visit but also to stay longer, explore more destinations, and discover unique experiences across various regions of Indonesia.”
It’s not Indonesia’s first attempt at tourism dispersion.
The 10 New Balis initiative, launched a decade ago, was designed to spread the tourism benefits concentrated in Bali across the archipelago – and, in the process, ease the country’s reliance on its tourism superstar.
Trillions of rupiah were spent on infrastructure elsewhere, but so far, it has done little to shift the needle. And while Garuda is giving international visitors free domestic flights, the high cost of air travel remains a barrier for many Indonesians wanting to explore their own country. The offer isn’t available to ordinary domestic travellers.
Other countries have used free flights like this.
Japan Airlines offers complimentary domestic flights to international passengers, encouraging travellers to venture beyond gateways such as Tokyo and Osaka, while ANA has offered similar incentives.
Japan is also grappling with severe overtourism in hotspots including Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and JAL has separately partnered with travel company JTB on an initiative specifically designed to disperse foreign visitors into regional Japan.
Malaysia Airlines has long offered international passengers a complimentary domestic side trip when travelling via Kuala Lumpur, while Vietnam Airlines is offering free domestic connections to international passengers – coincidentally, also for travel until November 30.
Thailand has gone one step further, at least in ambition. Last year, its tourism ministry proposed giving 200,000 international visitors free return domestic flights, subsidised by the government, specifically to encourage travel to secondary destinations. The scheme has yet to get off the ground.
There’s evidence that such incentives can work, including on Australians.
In 2009, Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand launched the Big Shout, offering Australians two free domestic flights with a return trans-Tasman fare. The promotion was repeated the following year, with Air New Zealand reporting the original campaign had resulted in a significant increase in passengers adding a domestic flight to their itinerary.
In other words, sometimes the word “free” really can change where we go.
To take advantage of the Garuda offer, travellers need an eligible return international Garuda Indonesia ticket with new bookings made using the promo code INDO. Travellers who already hold an eligible international ticket may also be able to add the free domestic flight. Thirty-three domestic destinations are applicable, subject to eligibility and seat availability, for travel until November 30, 2026.
Julietta Jameson is a freelance travel writer who would rather be in Rome, but her hometown Melbourne is a happy compromise.Connect via email.