The stretch of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road leading to the Cikampek Utama tollgate in Karawang, West Java, stands virtually empty on March 30, 2025, the day before Idul Fitri. - Photo: Antara
JAKARTA: West Java, one of the country’s top destinations for mudik, the traditional exodus for Idul Fitri, saw a significant drop in tourist visits this week during the holiday as fewer people hit the roads amid a decline in consumer purchasing power.
Traffic director Sr. Comr. Dodi Darjanto of the West Java Police reported a significant decline in vehicle traffic to the province's top tourist destinations of Puncak, Lembang and Pangandaran Beach over Idul Fitri this year.
“We saw only 30,000 vehicles passing through Puncak every day, whereas last year the number was around 100,000 to 120,000,” Dodi said on Thursday (April 3), as quoted by Kompas.com.
Puncak, located in the mountainous region of Bogor and renowned for its cool breezes and lush tea plantations, has long been a popular getaway for domestic tourists, particularly from Jakarta.
Lembang, a key destination in Bandung famed for its breathtaking highland views, saw a 20 percent drop in holiday traffic compared to Idul Fitri last year.
Dodi said Pangandaran Beach also experienced a decline in traffic, though he did not provide a specific figure.
Hariyadi Sukamdani, chairperson of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), said two Bogor hotels were forced to close just before Idul Fitri due to a sharp decline in occupancy.
"At least 150 workers have lost their jobs and we’re concerned that more layoffs may follow, as hotel occupancy across the country during this year’s Idul Fitri has dropped approximately 20 percent compared to last year," he said on Tuesday.
Hariyadi also noted that a larger number of guests had booked dates closer to Idul Fitri, which fell on March 31, and for shorter durations.
"This reflects the decline in purchasing power, especially among individuals from middle- and lower-income backgrounds, amid ongoing economic challenges," he said.
He highlighted that the government’s sweeping austerity policy had been a key contributor to the nationwide decline in hotel occupancy rates, the government had previously accounted for 40 percent of the hospitality market through meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) events.
President Prabowo Subianto imposed the policy to slash Rp 306 trillion (US$18.48 billion) from the 2025 state budget to fund his flagship initiatives, such as the free nutritious meal programme, a move that economists warned would hurt the economy and consumer purchasing power.
PHRI West Java head Dodi Ahmad Sofiandi said hotels in the province might have no choice but to implement mass layoffs later this month due to persistently low occupancy rates.
“If this trend continues, we may have to reduce our staff by as much as 50 per cent. Many hotels have already stopped hiring daily workers and are not renewing contracts for existing staff,” he said on Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.id.
The association’s West Java branch represents 800 hotels across 27 cities and regencies in the province, each employing between 100 and 300 people.
Dodi noted that local hotels had been struggling with a progressive decline in monthly occupancy rates since the beginning of 2025, from 40 percent in January to 30 percent in February, and then to just 20 percent in March.
The Transportation Ministry projected that 146 million people would travel to their hometowns for Idul Fitri this year, a 23 percent decrease from last year’s forecast of 193 million mudik travelers.
The same data projected 22 million mudik travelers heading to West Java, the third most-visited region after Central Java and East Java.
While the government has not provided a reason for the expected decline in holiday travellers, analysts have attributed it to the bleak state of the economy and weaker purchasing power due to mass layoffs in multiple sectors.
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) forecast a 12.3 per cent year-on-year drop in the circulation of money during Idul Fitri this year.
“Last year, we estimated that Idul Fitri would drive Rp 157.3 trillion in money circulation. This year, we expect only Rp 138 trillion,” Sarman Simanjorang, Kadin’s deputy chair of regional autonomy development, said on March 18. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
