PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) reported a surge in foreign tourist numbers, with trains, including the high-speed train Whoosh, becoming a favourite means of transportation across Java and Sumatra.
PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) reported a significant increase in the number of foreign tourists using trains in Java and Sumatra throughout the year 2024 thus far. According to Anne Purba, VP of Public Relations at KAI, from the 1st of January until the 31st of July, KAI recorded 330,088 foreign tourists using trains as their preferred means of transportation.
“In addition, the total number of train ticket reservations made by foreign tourists from the 1st of January until the 22nd of August has reached 410,051 tickets. In 2023, KAI served 533,594 foreign tourists [which was] a 95.38% increase compared to the previous year in 2022, which saw 273,112 [foreign tourists],” Purba told the press via a statement on Friday, the 23rd of August.
Purba continued, “Currently, trains remain the preferred means of transportation among foreign tourists when travelling in Indonesia. The highest number of [foreign] tourists using trains in 2024 was in July, [which was] 78,441 passengers, followed by August, where 68,147 [foreign tourists] had been served and were still waiting for their departure until the 31st. And then, in May, [which was] 51,937 passengers.”
The Indonesian cities that are popular destinations for foreign tourists, as observed by KAI, include Bandung, Semarang, Cirebon, Yogyakarta, Purwokerto, Banyuwangi, and Medan.
Purba attributed the increase in train ticket purchases by foreign tourists to the government’s policy of relaxing mobility restrictions after the COVID-19 pandemic and the revocation of the pandemic status back in June 2023. In addition to trains, according to KAI, the high-speed train Whoosh has also become a favourite means of transportation among foreign tourists. In approximately the last 10 months of its operation, Whoosh has served more than 200,000 foreign tourists originating from 154 countries.
KCIC Corporate Secretary General Manager, Eva Chairunisa, previously stated on Thursday, the 22nd of August, that the largest number of foreign tourists who have boarded Whoosh came from Malaysia (85,000 passengers), followed by China (45,000 passengers), Singapore (30,000 passengers), Japan (12,000 passengers), and Australia (11,000 passengers).
Additionally, geographically, Asian tourists made up the largest number of the Whoosh passengers (148,000 passengers), followed by tourists from the European continent (24,000 passengers), tourists from the North American subcontinent (16,000 passengers), tourists from the Oceanic region (11,000 passengers), tourists from the African continent (1,000 passengers), and tourists from the South American subcontinent (900 passengers).
“Whoosh has become one of the symbols of transportation modernisation recognised by the international community,” Chairunisa concluded.