PETALING JAYA: Indonesia has always been a favourite travel destination for Malaysians, and visitor numbers are expected to increase with the neighbouring country’s currency hitting a record low.
Melaka Tourism Association president Madelina Quah said the low rupiah presents an advantage for Malaysians travelling and shopping in Indonesia.
“This will translate to cheaper holidays, shopping for weddings and buying of raw materials for imports against exports competitiveness.
“Younger Malaysians prefer destinations such as Lombok, Bali, Yogyakarta and Komodo Island. This is because they are more adventurous, preferring the outdoors while the older generations opt for Jakarta, Bandung, Baku, Surabaya and Jogjakarta for the shopping experience,” she said.
On Friday, the rupiah hit a record low at 18,050 against the US dollar.
It crossed the key 18,000 level on Thursday, marking its 10th consecutive week of declines.
So far this year, the rupiah has lost more than 7% of its value.
Quah said it is certainly a pity to see the rupiah in such a state but it does present the best time to buy things at extremely cheap prices, especially items that aren’t available here in Malaysia.
In terms of inbound tourism, Quah said rich Indonesians will still travel, especially for medical tourism.
Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association president Mint Leong said that given the short destinations between the two countries, outbound tourism will be a boon.
“Indonesia offers a lot of places to explore and given the short and easy destination travel times between places like Bali, Jakarta and Bandung, you will see an increase in both visitors and spending,” she said.
Leong noted that the number of arrivals from Indonesia to Malaysia might not be affected much as the two countries have a close relationship.
“The situation isn’t the same as arrivals from the Middle East dropped (when the Middle East conflict began).
“Because of our relationship and proximity (with Indonesia), we will still see Indonesians coming here because it is still worth the money,” she added.
However, Leong cautioned that if the rupiah continues to decline, it may affect inbound tourism more significantly in the coming months.
Zetty Rahman, 44, from Melaka, said she is taking advantage of the situation to travel to Jakarta.
“It has been a while since my family and I visited Indonesia. This is the perfect time to travel there,” she said.
Meanwhile, a content creator from Bali with the X handle @PHN316 urged his “SEAblings” (short for South-East Asia siblings) from Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore to visit Indonesia now.
He shared a post urging others to stay longer, spend as much as possible and buy from local businesses instead of big corporations.