Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism strengthens promotion for the Wonderful Indonesia campaign, with Taiwanese tourists designated as the primary target for this promotional effort.

The Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) continues to expand the outreach of Wonderful Indonesia promotions to international markets. This time, Taiwan is selected as the target through the Wonderful Indonesia Sales Mission that will be held in Taipei on 2 September 2026.

This event serves as key momentum for Indonesia to introduce its wide range of tourist destinations, while simultaneously opening business cooperation opportunities with Taiwan's tourism industry stakeholders.

Ni Made Ayu Marthini, Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism, stated that this sales mission is not solely focused on destination promotion.

The agenda is also designed to strengthen the Wonderful Indonesia brand image, while growing business transactions and cross-border cooperation between the tourism sectors of both countries.

"Beyond boosting promotions, this activity also aims to build trust and solid reputation for Wonderful Indonesia, reinforce positive brand perception and competitiveness against rival destinations, as well as generate formal agreements, confirmed sales value, and long-term sustainable cooperation between Indonesian and Taiwanese tourism operators," stated Ni Made Ayu Marthini in an official press release from Jakarta on Thursday.

Marthini explained that this sales mission forms part of the strategy to expand Indonesia's tourism business network in Taiwan. The scheduled business to business (B2B) meetings will bring together industry players from both nations, and act as a platform to launch the Ministry of Tourism's flagship programmes.

This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism, the Indonesian Trade and Economic Office (KDEI) Taipei, Indonesia Inbound Tour Operators Association (IINTOA), and STARLUX Airlines.

Bali to Labuan Bajo Featured in Promotions

At the Wonderful Indonesia Sales Mission in Taipei, a selection of Indonesia's priority tourist destinations will be presented to the Taiwanese market. The Ministry of Tourism and KDEI Taipei will showcase Bali, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Pasuruan in East Java, Surabaya, and Labuan Bajo.

Alongside these well-known locations, various special interest tourism products that have been assessed to match Taiwanese traveller preferences will also be offered.

This strategy is critical to expand travel options while delivering more diverse, tailored experiences for prospective visitors.

A total of 21 Indonesian tourism operators are participating in this agenda, comprising travel agencies, tour operators, Destination Management Companies (DMCs), and accommodation providers.

These industry participants will present Indonesian travel products and tour packages to more than 49 verified potential buyers from Taiwan.

The B2B meetings are designed to convert Taiwan's large market potential into actual tourism transactions and confirmed visitor arrivals. By facilitating direct face-to-face engagement between sellers and buyers, it is expected that destination promotion will translate into concrete travel packages and formal business partnerships.

Significant Untapped Potential Remains in the Taiwan Market

Taiwan is recognised as one of the highest-growth opportunity markets for Indonesian tourism. Citing Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data referenced by the Ministry of Tourism, tourist arrivals from Taiwan to Indonesia reached 108,989 visits for the January-June 2026 period.

This figure places Taiwan as the 13th largest source of international visitors to Indonesia.

However, this only scratches the surface of the full market potential, when viewed against the high rate of overseas travel among Taiwanese residents. For the first half of 2026, Taiwan recorded over 12.6 million outbound travellers, marking 16.3% growth compared to the equivalent period the previous year.

Currently, visitors from Taiwan travelling to Indonesia account for less than 1% of total Taiwanese outbound travel within Asia.

For comparison, Japan received approximately 4.6 million Taiwanese visitors in the same period, followed by Mainland China with around 2.1 million, South Korea with 1.4 million, Vietnam with roughly 706,000, and Thailand with 645,687 arrivals.

This gap demonstrates that Indonesia still has very substantial room to grow its market share of Taiwanese tourists.

One proven strategy to achieve this is expanding the range of destinations and tourism products tailored specifically to the travel habits and preferences of Taiwanese visitors.

Rather than relying solely on established mainstream destinations, Indonesia also holds major opportunity to introduce new, differentiated tourism experiences.

Air Connectivity as a Critical Enabling Factor

Arif Sulistiyo, Head of KDEI Taipei, confirmed that Taiwan represents a high-priority potential market for Indonesian tourism.

He noted that the consistently strong appetite for overseas travel among Taiwanese people is an opportunity that Indonesia must act on proactively.

Development of air connectivity acts as the foundational supporting factor to grow this market. Improved, accessible flight routes will enable Taiwanese travellers to reach a wider range of destinations across Indonesia.

For this reason, the Ministry of Tourism, KDEI Taipei, airlines, tourism associations, travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, and all other industry stakeholders must work in coordinated collaboration to convert existing market potential into real growth in visitor arrivals.

The Wonderful Indonesia promotion campaign in Taipei extends far beyond simply introducing destination names. Behind this initiative lies a larger strategic goal: to build durable long-term business relationships, while positioning Indonesia as an increasingly competitive player in the crowded Asian tourism market.