e tourism indonesia

The 10 best places to visit in Indonesia

Dec 10, 2023 • 7 min read

Indonesia is how you've always imagined Asia – jungles, rice terraces, beaches, coral reefs and volcanoes © Martin Puddy / Getty Images

Few destinations can beat Indonesia  in terms of variety.

One day, you're strolling beneath the glistening skyscrapers of a modern city; the next, you're in a traditional hilltop village scoffing down steaming gado-gado (tofu, tempeh, vegetables slathered in a creamy peanut sauce).

From climbing the freezing-cold summit of a puffing volcano to beating through tropical rainforests in search of orangutans or tigers, Indonesia offers unparalleled opportunities for adventure. Where else can you salute the sun at sunrise and then surf a world-class barrel back to a virgin beach at sunset?

Roughly half of all international tourists land in Bali , but the nation is so much more than this one enticing island. From Java , Sumatra and Sulawesi to the frontier islands of West Papua (shared with Papua New Guinea) and Borneo (shared with Malaysia and Brunei), here are the top places to visit on a trip to Indonesia.

1. Jakarta, Java

Best city for art and history .

There’s no better place to get to grips with this vast and complex nation of 273 million people than its capital, Jakarta . Home to more than 10 million residents, it’s chaotic, traffic-clogged and sprawls over nearly 700 sq km (270 sq miles). It’s also home to the nation’s finest restaurants, wildest nightclubs and best museums.

Take time to browse the collections in the Museum Nasional (for history), Galeri Nasional (for classical art) and MACAN (for modern and contemporary art). From the Dutch colonial buildings of the Kota Tua neighborhood to the modern skyrises of the Golden Triangle, the city is both a study in contrasts and a crossroads of cultures, classes and cuisines.

2. Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan, Borneo

Best place to see orangutans.

If you want to see orangutans, the island of Borneo is the last place on earth (other than a few spots in neighboring Sumatra) where these great apes still thrive. Travelers looking for surefire sightings of orangutans head to Tanjung Puting National Park , a coastal tropical swamp forest that looks today like much of southern Borneo looked a few decades ago.

Most visitors hire liveaboard boats to travel up the Sekonyer River to feeding stations in the rainforest and Camp Leakey, the iconic rehabilitation center deep in the jungle where these auburn-haired 'men of the forest' live out a serene, semi-wild existence.

3. Raja Ampat, West Papua

Best place for snorkeling and diving.

Raja Ampat was once an under-the-radar destination visited only by intrepid scuba divers, but the whispers about this enticing island group have now reached a fever pitch. Off the coast of West Papua, the archipelago is a picture-perfect vision of paradise. Its lumpy green isles are blanketed in rainforests, dotted with languid lagoons and surrounded by warm turquoise seas at the vibrant heart of the Coral Triangle – an area of ocean with some of the greatest marine biodiversity on earth.

Raja Ampat's prismatic birds-of-paradise, which dance through the trees each morning at sunrise, informed the theory of evolution through natural selection, first developed by Charles Darwin’s less-appreciated contemporary, Alfred Russel Wallace. The British naturalist's restored hut is a popular attraction on the island of Gam. In addition to the dive lodges on Waigeo and Misool, many visitors sleep in homestays on virgin beaches, offering a chance to learn more about West Papua's distinctive culture.

4. Ubud, Bali

Best city for wellness and culture.

Rice paddies tumble down palm-lined hills, gamelan music fills the air, and floral offerings fill the streets in Bali’s most alluring (and on-trend) city, Ubud . By day, you can take a motorcycle out to the Monkey Forest for simian encounters, pop into the Yoga Barn for an ashtanga session, ogle the art at the Agung Rai Museum or shop for word-class beauty products, woodcarvings and batik textiles downtown. After dark, many people attend evening performances at local temples, where visitors are hypnotized by the beauty of courtly Legong ballets or wild Kecak fire dancing. Be careful! Many foreigners come to Ubud for a few days and end up staying a few years.

5. Komodo National Park, Nusa Tenggara

Best place for surprising wildlife encounters.

Dragons really do roam the earth at this sprawling national park , covering the three arid islands – Komodo, Padar and Rinca – that provide shelter for the world’s largest lizards. Komodo dragons are ancient-looking creatures that can grow up to 3m in length and weigh up to 70kg. Sadly, there are fewer than 1400 of these fork-tongued giants left in the wild. The chance to see them lures thousands of visitors each year, many of whom arrive on a boat tour en route from Lombok to Flores , stopping along the way to snorkel or dive off the coast of Sumbawa .

6. Borobudur and Yogyakarta, Java

Best place for indonesian history.

Peru has Machu Picchu, Cambodia has Angkor Wat, and Indonesia has Borobudur , a nine-tiered temple from the 9th century that clocks in as the largest Buddhist structure in the world. Emblazoned across its walls are some 2672 intricately-carved bas relief panels featuring Buddhist legends and scenes of daily life in Java, as well as 72 distinctive, perforated stupas and more than 500 Buddha statues.

This colossal World Heritage Site lies amid sprawling rice paddies near Yogyakarta , an important education center and a hub for classical Javanese art forms, including batik-making, wayang puppetry and silversmithing. Yogya, as the city is known locally, is fiercely independent and still headed by a resident sultan, whose walled palace complex is the city’s top attraction.

7. Tana Toraja, Sulawesi

Best place for cultural traditions.

The jungle-clad hills and rugged granite cliffs of Tana Toraja would be enough of a lure for most places, but the big draw of the central highlands of Sulawesi is the Torajan people themselves. The inhabitants of this fascinating region maintain traditions that mark them apart from other Indonesians, living in villages of elaborately decorated houses with intricately carved walls and boat-shaped roofs.

Many rituals here revolve around death and the afterlife. The bodies of the deceased remain in the homes (and lives) of their relatives for months or even years after they pass – for Torajans, death is viewed as a gradual and social process, and locals are generally comfortable sharing these unusual traditions with visitors.

8. Kerinci Valley, Sumatra

Best place for hiking.

Southeast Asia’s tallest volcano, Gunung Kerinci – a 3805m (12,484ft) monster – lords over this remote highland valley on Sumatra , which has become one of Indonesia’s top spots for adventure travel. You can climb to the summit of this active volcano, swim beneath cascading waterfalls or search dense jungles for gibbons and langur monkeys.

Much of the land here is protected as Kerinci Seblat National Park, which is two times the size of Bali and protects more forest than all of Costa Rica’s national parks combined. At 13,791 sq km (5325 sq miles), Kerinci Seblat is the last large refuge for the critically endangered Sumatran tiger, which survives here in greater numbers than anywhere else on the planet.

9. Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, Java

Best place for beautiful indonesian views.

You don’t have to look far in Indonesia to find a volcano, but Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java contains a whopping five volcanoes right next to each other. These conical peaks are dotted around a lunar landscape that has sprung from the ancient Tengger caldera.

The most striking site is smoldering Gunung Bromo, which rises 2329m (7641ft) out of a crater that is almost 10km (6 miles) across, surrounded by the nation’s only erg (dune sea). Most visitors time the trek to the summit to arrive at dawn to view the crater and volcanoes at their ethereal best.

10. The Gili Islands, Lombok

Best place for beach parties.

These tiny dollops of coral and sand off the coast of Lombok carry an outsized reputation thanks to their crystalline turquoise waters, white-sand beaches, ambitious vegan and health food restaurants, renowned freediving schools and epic beach parties. The Gilis started out as a boho backpacker destination, but the islands now cater to all types of travelers, with everything from backstreet hostels to luxurious beachfront cabanas (beach huts). 

Gili Trawangan (aka ‘Gili T’) is the largest and most developed of the islands, with a main drag that heaves with shops, massage parlors and cafes. Gili Meno is the smallest and most traditional island, while Gili Air offers the best of both worlds and is a lively hub for yoga tourism.

This article was first published Apr 21, 2022 and updated Dec 10, 2023.

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The Mandalika International Circuit is a racing circuit located in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone in Kuta Village, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. This circuit has a track length of 4,31 km with 17 turns.

Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo is a hidden paradise in eastern Indonesia. This village is located in Komodo District, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, which is directly adjacent to West Nusa Tenggara and separated by the Sape Strait.

Hidden Paradise in North Sulawesi. Maybe if you mention your favorite destinations in North Sulawesi, the names Manado and Bunaken will often appear. Indeed, the name Likupang is still very rarely known by tourists.

Lake Toba is a very amazing natural wonder. This lake is thought to have been formed from the violent eruption of a volcano, Mount Toba, which occurred about 74.000 years ago. With an area of ​​more than 1.145 square kilometers and a depth of 450 meters, Lake Toba is actually more like an ocean than a lake.

Borobudur Temple, Magelang Colossal Heritage, Central Java. Borobudur is a Buddhist temple located in Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. This temple is located approximately 100 km to the southwest of Semarang, 86 km to the west of Surakarta, and 40 km to the northwest of Yogyakarta.

Interesting Facts About Samosir Island, Having Unique Rituals

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Get To Know the Traditions of Protecting the Earth in Various Regions of Indonesia

There are many forms of giving thanks to the earth, providing abundant blessings. One of these is carrying out various traditions from generation to generation. As a country rich in culture and tradition, it is certainly not surprising that the Indonesian people carry out many traditions of respecting the earth.

Visiting Antiques Markets in Indonesia, Feels Like Entering a Time Tunnel

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Technology can bring more tourists back to Indonesia – but first we need a map to guide us

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In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and has been devastating for human life. Global tourism collapsed as tourist arrivals decreased by 71% in 2021 .

That has had a significant impact in countries like Indonesia, where tourism was booming pre-pandemic : tourism generated Rp536.8 trillion in 2017 , or 4.1% of Indonesia’s total gross domestic product, with 12.7 million jobs in the industry.

However, digital technology adoption has been an unexpected silver lining of the pandemic, emerging as a tool that can help accelerate tourism recovery worldwide. It shifts tourist preferences and priorities towards digital travel. It also presents new business opportunities in offering more relevant online experiences.

More tourism activities now offer hybrid events, particularly for music festivals, concerts and business meetings. Virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) provide a new travel experience, and have been adopted by hotels, destinations and online travel marketplaces all over the globe.

There is, however, a challenge in technology adoption to support tourism in Indonesia: its comparatively low information and communication technology (ICT) readiness.

According to a May 2022 World Economic Forum report, Indonesia was ranked 68th in 2020 in its ICT readiness. This ranking was based on the expansion of individual internet usage and 3G mobile broadband network coverage in each country.

While Indonesia’s ranking had slightly increased from 70th in 2019, it was behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The use of digital platforms for financial services, transportation and shipping and leisure activities in Indonesia are slow, and should be a subject for improvement.

From dreaming to sharing, tech can help tourists

One study emphasises how technology needs to be a catalyst to create meaningful tourism experiences.

The tourist experience is the backbone of business success, as it drives people to make travel decisions.

The key to enhancing this experience is understanding how tourists make travel decisions through different travel stages: from dreaming, planning, booking, and experiencing, to sharing.

Using technology to improve the tourism experience throughout all travel stages is critical. Technology helps connect tourism supply and demand, creating physical and virtual experiences. It enables tourism providers to maintain competitiveness in the market. Tourists also use technology to plan their trips, experience destinations and reflect on their travels to obtain satisfaction.

Several technologies that shape the tourism experience include Big Data , cloud computing , VR/AR, blockchain, artificial intelligence, social media, gamification and the internet of things .

For example, the Skyscanner chatbot on Facebook or Whatsapp assists with travelling needs, from digging out information to offering fast responses during the booking process. In another example, Iceland has upgraded Keflavik Airport’s automated baggage tracking system to alert travellers when their baggage is nearby.

Advanced technology creates value throughout tourism experiences by providing choices and convenience, flexibility, safety, fun and enjoyment, and real-time, reliable information. As a result, tourists have more options and flexibility in every stage of their travel journey: from acquiring information, planning an e-itinerary, booking and purchasing flights or hotels online, to sharing their experiences.

Opportunities and challenges for Indonesia

Indonesia has a large population, growing mobile internet penetration and a vibrant start-up ecosystem, with the most growth recorded in e-commerce and online transportation. All of those factors demonstrate Indonesia’s potential for adopting advanced technology.

But Indonesia must also catch up to other countries in capturing its digital potential. The inequality of ICT infrastructure between regions and income classes has become the main barrier to the accessibility of good quality internet.

Moreover, digital literacy – especially on safety – is low and needs improvement .

A World Bank report shows digital payment adoption is relatively low, with 50% of Indonesian online buyers preferring to pay cash on delivery.

The lack of awareness, knowledge and trust, regulation and appropriate infrastructure curb e-commerce growth in Indonesia.

Such conditions could hinder the success of the Indonesian tourism industry, as it needs to maintain competitiveness amid growing digital demands. Without advanced technology, the tourism industry will not thrive in the ever-changing global market.

A map for the future

The Indonesian government needs a map to design digital strategies that match with tourists’ expectations and needs. The map would present tourists’ experiences, including their interactions with the most relevant digital touchpoint in every travel stage (from dreaming to sharing).

Such a map could address digital tourism challenges, and help the tourism industry offer a frictionless, seamless, and better-quality tourism experience.

The map could also raise awareness among tourism stakeholders about the current digital technology in Indonesia and tourism in particular.

Areas that the Indonesian government could focus on to provide the best digital services include:

• improving digital government services in the tourism sector
• utilising digital strategies for promoting tourism
• adopting data integration and interoperability in the tourism sector
• investing in digital literacy for tourism industry workers
• more research and development for technology adoption in the tourism sector
• enhancing digital services for businesses, and
• simplifying, updating and revising policies and regulations related to digitalisation in the tourism sector.

Implementing the action plans above could accelerate digital transformation in Indonesia’s tourism industry. In doing so, it would increase the quality of tourism services on offer for people interested in visiting Indonesia.

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Update April 12, 2024

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Travel Advisory July 24, 2023

Indonesia - level 2: exercise increased caution.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Exercise increased caution in Indonesia due to  terrorism and natural disasters.  Some areas have increased risk.  Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Do Not travel to:

• The provinces of Central Papua (Papua Tengah) and Highland Papua (Papua Pegunungan) due to civil unrest.

Terrorists continue plotting possible attacks in Indonesia. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting police stations, places of worship, hotels, bars, nightclubs, markets/shopping malls, and restaurants.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions may result in disruptions to transportation, infrastructure, sanitation, and the availability of health services.

Demonstrations occur frequently and have the potential to become violent.  Avoid demonstrations and crowds. 

Indonesia’s revised criminal code, which takes effect January 2026, includes penalties for defamation, blasphemy, cohabitation, and sex outside of marriage. It is unclear how Indonesian authorities will implement the revised criminal code.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Indonesia.  

If you decide to travel to Indonesia:

• Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans. 
• Visit the websites for  Badan Geologi  (Indonesian Geological Agency, Indonesian language only) for the latest information from the Government of Indonesia on current natural disasters.
• Review the  CDC’s suggestions on how to prepare for natural disasters.
• Be aware of your personal safety and security at all times. 
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  ( STEP ) to receive alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay.
• Follow the Department of State Facebook  and Twitter .  Follow the U.S. Embassy Jakarta on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter .
• Review the Country Security Report  for Indonesia.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

Central Papua and Highland Papua– Level 4: Do Not Travel

In Central Papua and Highland Papua, violent demonstrations and conflict could result in injury or death to U.S. citizens. Avoid demonstrations and crowds. Armed separatists may kidnap foreign nationals.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Central Papua and Highland Papua as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization before traveling to those areas.

Embassy Messages

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Quick Facts

Six months beyond arrival date. Indonesia does not accept the 12-page U.S. emergency passport for entry into Indonesia.

Two blank visa pages required for entry stamp

Yes, Visa or Visa on Arrival

100,000,000 Indonesian rupia (approx. $7,000 USD)

Embassies and Consulates

U.s. embassy jakarta.

Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 3 - 5 Jakarta 10110, Indonesia Telephone: +(62)(21) 5083-1000 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(62)(21) 5083-1000 ext. 0 (operator) Email:  [email protected]

U.S. Consulate General Surabaya Jl. Citra Raya Niaga No. 2 Surabaya 60217 Indonesia Telephone: +(62)(31) 297-5300 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(62)(811) 334-183 Email:  [email protected]

U.S. Consular Agency Bali Jalan Hayam Wuruk 310, Denpasar, Bali Telephone: +(62)(361) 233-605 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: Please contact the U.S. Consulate in Surabaya:+(62)(811) 334-183 Email:  [email protected]

American Consulate Medan, Sumatra Uni Plaza Building 4th Floor (West Tower) Jl. Let. Jend. MT Haryono A-1 Medan 20231, Indonesia Telephone: +(62)(61) 451-9000 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(62)(61) 451-9000 Email:  [email protected]

The U.S. Consulate in Medan provides only emergency assistance to U.S. citizens and does not offer routine consular services.

Destination Description

See the Department of State’s Fact Sheet on Indonesia for information on U.S.- Indonesia relations.

Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements

Entry Requirements:  To enter Indonesia, your passport must have at least two blank pages and be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your arrival in Indonesia. If your passport does not meet these requirements, you will be denied entry into Indonesia. The Government of Indonesia will not admit travelers holding the 12-page U.S. emergency passport, issued by U.S. embassies and consulates overseas.

Visa-on-Arrival:  If you meet the requirements, you can apply for a visa on arrival at some international airports, seaports, or land crossings. To apply for the visa on arrival, you must have an ordinary (non-emergency) passport with at least 6 months of validity from the date you plan to enter and the date you plan to leave Indonesia and a return or onward flight booking to another country. There is a 500,000 Indonesian Rupiah fee (about $35). The visa on arrival is valid for up to 30 days. You may extend a Visa-on-Arrival once at the immigration office one week before it expires for an additional 30 days for a maximum of 30 additional days, for another 500,000 Rupiah.

• Official visit or government duties;
• Business meeting;
• Procurement of goods;
• Official meeting; or

Electronic Visa-On-Arrival:  You may also apply for an electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VOA) in advance if you are entering Indonesia at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta or Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. Check the e-VOA requirements from Indonesian Immigration before applying. To apply for an e-VOA see  https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/ .

Visa:  Travel for more than 30 days and travel for non-VOA purposes, including employment and journalism, requires that the appropriate visa be obtained from an Indonesian embassy or consulate before arrival. If you are traveling on an emergency passport, you must obtain a visa before arrival in Indonesia.

If you overstay your visa, you are subject to a fine of 1 million Indonesian rupiah (about $70 USD at current exchange rates; fees may change at any time) per day and may be detained and deported. U.S. citizens have been jailed for visa overstays or entering the country on the wrong visa class for their purpose of travel . Travelers coming to Indonesia for non-tourism purposes are strongly encouraged to consult Indonesian Immigration’s website. Travelers should generally carry a copy of their passport with them whenever possible to establish their identity and proof of Indonesian visa.

You must exit Indonesia using the same passport that you used to enter.  If this passport is replaced for any reason before you depart Indonesia, you must apply with Immigration to obtain a “special pass” (exit permit) in your new passport prior to departing.

Dual-Nationality:  Indonesia has laws that prohibit Indonesian citizens from holding additional nationalities. If you are an Indonesian with dual nationality, you could be compelled to renounce your Indonesian nationality through a formal act of renunciation. Please research Indonesian nationality laws and consult with a local attorney regarding any specific circumstance.

The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Indonesia. The Government of Indonesia screens incoming passengers in response to reported outbreaks of pandemic illnesses.

Find information on dual nationality , prevention of international child abduction , and customs regulations on our websites.

Safety and Security

Terrorism:  Terrorist groups and those inspired by such organizations are intent on attacking U.S. citizens abroad. Terrorists are increasingly using less sophisticated methods of attack – including knives, firearms, and vehicles – to target crowds. Frequently, their aim is unprotected or vulnerable targets, such as:

• High-profile public events (sporting contests, political rallies, demonstrations, holiday events, celebratory gatherings, etc.)
• Hotels, clubs, and restaurants frequented by tourists
• Places of worship
• Shopping malls and markets
• Public transportation systems (including subways, buses, trains, and scheduled commercial flights)

Extremists in Indonesia aspire to carry out violent attacks against Indonesian and foreign targets, and police have arrested more than 1,200 individuals on terrorism-related charges since 2018. Extremists may target both official and private establishments, including government offices, hotels, bars, nightclubs, shopping areas, restaurants, and places of worship. Be aware of your personal safety and security at all times.

Recent incidents of extremist violence include a December 2022 suicide bombing at a police station in Bandung, West Java that killed one police officer, a March 2021 bomb attack against a church in Makassar, South Sulawesi which injured 20 civilians, and May 2018 bomb attacks against three churches in Surabaya, East Java which killed 15 civilians and injured 50.

Demonstrations are very common in Jakarta, Surabaya, and other large cities, but less common in Bali. You should avoid demonstrations and other mass gatherings, since even those intended to be peaceful can become violent. U.S. citizens have been detained for participating in protests.  Demonstrations may become more frequent ahead of the Indonesian general elections scheduled for February 2024.

Currently, travel by U.S. government personnel to the provinces of Central Papua (Papua Tengah) and Highland Papua (Papua Pegunungan) is restricted to mission-essential travel that is approved in advance by the Embassy. Papuan separatists have kidnapped foreigners in the past and a New Zealand national was kidnapped by a separatist group in Nduga Regency in February 2023.

For more information, see our Terrorism page.

Crime:   In the last year several American citizens were victims of violent and serious crimes in Indonesia, particularly in Bali. As with any major tourist destination, U.S. citizens traveling in Indonesia are especially encouraged to always remain vigilant of their surroundings and read the following advisories carefully. Take sensible measures to protect yourself and your belongings.  Closely monitor bags and luggage and carry only essential items. Take particular care of your passport and bank cards and avoid traveling alone.

Police presence and responsiveness is less than it is in the United States, making it more difficult to report crimes quickly and receive police attention. U.S. citizens often cite language barriers as a major hindrance when reporting crimes.

Pickpocketing, sexual assault, vehicle theft, armed car-jacking, snatch and grab robberies of cell phones and purses, and residential break-ins are common. Avoid traveling to isolated areas late at night. Be aware of your surroundings, particularly vehicles or individuals that might be following you.

Use a reputable taxi company or hire a taxi either at a major hotel or shopping center and ensure the driver’s identity card is visible. If you are booking a car via a mobile app, always ensure that the driver is the same as the person on the app, share your journey with a friend via the in-app option, and know the contact information for the app’s security center. Be aware of drivers falsely claiming to be registered with online ride hailing apps.

Credit card fraud is a common problem in Indonesia. Criminals have “skimmed” credit/debit cards to access and drain bank accounts. Use an ATM in a secure location, such as a major bank branch, and check the machine for evidence of tampering. Monitor your account statements regularly.

Tourists and Indonesians have suffered from serious illness and have even died from "drink-spiking” and drink poisoning incidents, particularly in clubs and nightspots in urban and tourist areas. There have been reports of sexual assaults and drink spiking in Bali, Lombok, and the Gili Islands.  Make sure drinks are prepared in your sight and be careful about accepting drinks from strangers at clubs and parties or leaving drinks unattended. Tourists have also been robbed after taking visitors to their hotel rooms, and in some cases have found that their drinks were spiked. There have also been deaths and serious illnesses caused by drinking alcoholic drinks contaminated with methanol. These cases have occurred in bars, shops, and hotels in popular tourist areas like Bali, Lombok, the Gili Islands, and Sumatra.

Sexual Assault:  Women travelling alone may be subject to harassment and verbal abuse. Sexual assault, harassment, and rape occur. To minimize the risk, avoid travelling alone, especially at night; remain particularly vigilant in less populous areas; and be careful when dealing with strangers or recent acquaintances. Never leave food or drinks unattended or in the care of strangers. Be wary of accepting snacks, beverages, gum, or cigarettes from new acquaintances. These items may contain drugs that could put you at risk of sexual assault and robbery. Local authorities may not respond adequately to reports of sexual violence and harassment. If you are the victim of a sexual assault, you should report it immediately to local authorities and to the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate General.  

Demonstrations  occur frequently. They may take place in response to political or economic issues, on politically significant holidays, and during international events. 

• Demonstrations can be unpredictable. Avoid areas around protests and demonstrations. 
• Past demonstrations have turned violent.
• Check local media for updates and traffic advisories.
• Participating in demonstrations on a tourist visa can lead to deportation.

International Financial Scams:  See the  Department of State  and the  FBI  pages for information.

Internet romance and financial scams occur in Indonesia. Scams are often initiated through Internet postings/profiles or by unsolicited emails and letters. Scammers almost always pose as U.S. citizens who have no one else to turn to for help. Common scams include:

• Romance/Online dating
• Money transfers
• Lucrative sales
• Gold purchase
• Contracts with promises of large commissions
• Grandparent/Relative targeting
• Free Trip/Luggage
• Inheritance notices
• Work permits/job offers
• Bank overpayments

Victims of Crime:

Sexual assault:  U.S. citizen victims of sexual assault should seek prompt medical assistance, contact the Embassy or nearest Consulate, and call the local police at 112. For a criminal investigation to be initiated by the police, the victim must make a full statement to the local police, in person.  Remember that local authorities are responsible for investigating and prosecuting crime. U.S. citizen victims of sexual assault may choose to be accompanied by a translator.

See our webpage on help for U.S. victims of crime overseas .

• Help you find appropriate medical care
• Assist you in reporting a crime to the police
• Contact relatives or friends with your written consent
• Explain the local criminal justice process in general terms
• Provide a list of local attorneys
• Provide our information on victim’s compensation programs in the U.S.
• Provide an emergency loan for repatriation to the United States and/or limited medical support in cases of destitution. Follow this link for more information
• Help you find accommodation and arrange flights home
• Replace a stolen or lost passport

Domestic Violence:  U.S. citizen victims of domestic violence are encouraged to contact the Embassy for assistance.

Tourism: The tourism and recreational activity industries are unevenly regulated, and safety inspections for equipment and facilities do not commonly occur. Hazardous areas/activities are not always identified with appropriate signage, and staff may not be trained or certified either by the host government or by recognized authorities in the field.  Water sports, especially diving, can be hazardous in Indonesia with operators lightly regulated and hyperbaric chambers available only in Bali and Ambon.  Traffic is hazardous in Indonesia and U.S. citizens are frequently injured while riding rented motorbikes. Wearing a helmet is required by law. In the event of an injury, appropriate medical treatment is typically available only in/near major cities, and only basic stabilization may be available. Serious injuries require medical evacuation to another country. First responders are generally unable to provide urgent medical treatment or to access areas outside of major cities. Boat and ferry incidents are frequent; vessels rarely carry appropriate sizes and numbers of safety vests; passengers are encouraged to bring their own. U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to purchase medical evacuation insurance. See our webpage for more information on insurance providers for overseas coverage ( http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/health/insurance-providers.html ).

Please note:   The U.S. Embassy and Consulates do not pay the medical expenses of private U.S. citizens in Indonesia. It is the traveler’s responsibility to ensure adequate medical insurance coverage or funds for medical expenses.

Local Laws & Special Circumstances

Criminal Penalties:  You are subject to Indonesian laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Criminal cases can take months or even years to resolve, and suspects can be held without charges for up to 60 days, and in many cases longer. Indonesia‘s revised criminal code, which takes effect January 2026, includes penalties for defamation, blasphemy, cohabitation, and sex outside of marriage. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to stay up-to-date.

If you are convicted of possession, use, or trafficking of illegal drugs in Indonesia, you may be subject to heavy fines, long jail sentences, and even the death penalty. Some prescription medications that are available in the United States are illegal in Indonesia. Some drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are illegal in Indonesia. Marijuana, Cannabis, hash, “edibles,” and products containing CBD or THC remain illegal in Indonesia, including for medicinal purposes. A medical prescription does not make it legal. If you take such products to Indonesia or purchase or use them in Indonesia, you can be arrested and face imprisonment, fines, deportation, or the death penalty. Illegal drug convictions often result in lengthy prison sentences, even at the simple possession level. Indonesian prison conditions are harsh and do not meet U.S. standards. Many prisons are overcrowded and provide minimal services. The costs of basic services, including healthcare, often must be borne by the prisoner.

Individuals establishing a business or practicing a profession that requires additional permits or licensing should seek information from the competent local authorities prior to practicing or operating a business.

Furthermore, some laws are also prosecutable in the United States regardless of local law. For examples, see our website on crimes against minors abroad and the Department of Justice website.

Arrest Notification:  If you are arrested or detained, ask police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy immediately. See our webpage for further information.

Counterfeit and Pirated Goods:  Although counterfeit and pirated goods are prevalent in many countries, they may still be illegal according to local laws. You may also pay fines or have to give them up if you bring them back to the United States. See the U.S. Department of Justice website for more information.

Faith-Based Travelers:  See the following webpages for details:

• Faith-Based Travel Information
• nternational Religious Freedom Report – see country reports
• Human Rights Report – see country reports
• Hajj Fact Sheet for Travelers
• Best Practices for Volunteering Abroad

LGBTQI+ Travelers:  LGBTQI+ status or conduct is not illegal, but local authorities sometimes take legal action against, or tolerate harassment of people engaging in LGBTQI+ relationships or openly expressing LGBTQI+ identity. Some local governments have passed laws criminalizing LGBTQI+ relationships. Same-sex marriages or civil unions recognized as valid in other countries are not legally recognized in Indonesia. The Indonesian Parliament revised the criminal code to include penalties for cohabitation and sex outside of marriage. These revisions, however, will not come into force until January 2026, and how they will be implemented is unclear.

See our LGBTQI+ Travel Information page and section 6 of our Human Rights report for further details .

Sharia Law:   Sharia law is enforced in Aceh province and may exist unofficially or through local legislation in other areas. The law is intended for Muslims and should not apply to non-Muslims or foreign visitors. You should be respectful of local traditions, mindful of social norms, and seek guidance from local police if confronted by Sharia authorities. 

Earthquakes and Tsunamis:  There are approximately 4,000 earthquakes per year in Indonesia, or more than 10 per day on average. While most earthquakes are mild, some cause significant destruction and can trigger tsunamis. Tsunami warning systems may not be operable, or reports of tremors and tsunamis may be delayed. Local construction standards are lower than in the United States, and many structures including hotels and malls are prone to damage or collapse in an earthquake. Access to disaster-affected areas is often difficult and assistance from the U.S. Embassy may be limited.

If a major earthquake or landslide occurs close to shore, you should follow the instructions of local authorities, bearing in mind that a tsunami could arrive within minutes. The Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning Centre issues tsunami warnings when a potential tsunami with significant impact is imminent or expected.

Volcanoes:  There are 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Eruptions frequently cause travel delays, displace local populations, and disrupt economic activities. 

Environmental Quality:  Air quality in Indonesia’s major cities can range from "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to "unhealthy." Current air quality data for Jakarta can be found on the Embassy’s  Air Quality  page. Tap water is not potable throughout Indonesia and should not be consumed. 

Mountain Hiking:  When hiking in mountainous areas, obtain current information on local conditions, travel with a reputable guide, have overseas medical insurance, and carry a local mobile phone. Never go hiking or climbing alone. Particularly dangerous trails may not be clearly labeled as such. Hikers on Puncak Jaya in Papua should have realistic primary and backup plans for climbing down the mountain. Tour operators have abandoned climbers. Taking shortcuts through private property is considered trespassing and is not a safe or legal alternative to a proper plan. If possible, ensure your hiking plans are registered and known to local authorities and/or tourism operators, as this helps identify your presence in these areas in the event of an emergency. 

Dual Nationality:  Indonesian law does not recognize dual nationality for adults over 18 years of age. U.S. citizens who are also Indonesian nationals may be required to renounce their Indonesian citizenship and may also be deported.  Please visit our Dual Nationality page .

Travelers with Disabilities:  Persons with disabilities will face severe difficulties in Indonesia as most public places and transportation facilities do not accommodate disabled people. The law in Indonesia prohibits discrimination against persons with mental and physical disabilities, but the law is seldom enforced. Social acceptance of persons with disabilities in public is not as prevalent as in the United States. Expect accessibility to be extremely limited in public transportation, lodging, communication/information, and general infrastructure.

Students:  See our Students Abroad page and FBI travel tips .

Women Travelers:   Women traveling alone may be subject to harassment and verbal abuse. Sexual assault, harassment, and rape occur. To minimize the risk, avoid travelling alone, especially at night; remain particularly vigilant in less populous areas; and be careful when dealing with strangers or recent acquaintances. Never leave food or drinks unattended or in the care of strangers. Be wary of accepting snacks, beverages, gum, or cigarettes from new acquaintances. These items may contain drugs that could put you at risk of sexual assault and robbery. While domestic violence is illegal in Indonesia, these laws are rarely enforced. Local authorities may not respond adequately to reports of sexual violence and harassment. If you are the victim of a sexual assault, you should report it immediately to local authorities and to the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate General and seek medical attention. See our travel tips for Women Travelers .

The Government of Indonesia requires all non-Indonesian citizens entering the country to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Medical Care:  For emergency services in Indonesia dial 112.

Sanitation and health care conditions in Indonesia are far below U.S. standards. Routine medical care is available in all major cities, although most expatriates leave the country for all but the most basic medical procedures. Physicians and hospitals often expect payment or sizable deposits before providing medical care, even in emergency and/or life-threatening situations. See our  Embassy's  website for a list of English-speaking doctors and hospitals, but keep in mind that even in large cities the quality of English-speaking medical personnel will vary and there are often communication difficulties. In remote areas there may be no English-speaking medical personnel. Psychological and psychiatric services are limited, even in the larger cities, with hospital-based care only available through government institutions.

Ambulance services are not widely available, and training and availability of emergency responders may be below U.S. standards. Ambulances are not staffed with trained paramedics and often have little or no medical equipment. Injured or seriously ill travelers may prefer to take a taxi or private vehicle to the nearest major hospital rather than wait for an ambulance.

We do not pay medical bills.  Be aware that U.S. Medicare/Medicaid does not apply overseas. Most hospitals and doctors overseas do not accept U.S. health insurance.

Medical Insurance:   Make sure your health insurance plan provides coverage overseas. Most care providers overseas only accept cash payments. See our webpage for more information on insurance providers for overseas coverage. Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information on type of insurance you should consider before you travel overseas.

We strongly recommend supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation, which can exceed over $100,000 per person.

Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription.  Be aware that Indonesian authorities may consider some prescription drugs as illegal narcotics. The Indonesian government does not publish a list of which pharmaceuticals are considered contraband, and these decisions may be arbitrary.

U.S. citizens are advised against mailing or shipping by courier any medications to Indonesia. Indonesian authorities pay close attention to packages containing pharmaceuticals and may detain or arrest recipients of both prescription and over the counter medications. Even if a medication is legal or has been prescribed in the United States, it may be considered an illegal narcotic in Indonesia. U.S. citizens are advised to only hand carry prescription medications into the country, in the original packaging with a copy of any prescription. The U.S. Embassy and Consulates cannot assist you with the importation and/or release of medications.  

Marijuana, Cannabis, hash, “edibles,” and products containing CBD or THC remain illegal in Indonesia, including for medicinal purposes.  A medical prescription does not make it legal.

Local pharmacies carry a range of products of variable quality, availability, and cost. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are a significant risk; patronize only reputable pharmacies. Malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and  Zika virus  are mosquito borne diseases in Indonesia.  Prevention of mosquito bites  is strongly encouraged; malaria preventive medication is needed in some areas. Pregnant women should be aware that Indonesia is a  CDC Zika risk area  and that Zika can be spread by mosquitos as well as  sexual contact . Diarrheal diseases are very common throughout Indonesia and  food and water precautions  are recommended. Rabies is prevalent in animals and animal contact should be avoided.

Vaccinations:  Be up-to-date on all vaccinations recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further health information:

• World Health Organization
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Air Quality:  Visit AirNow Department of State for information on air quality at U.S. Embassies and Consulates. See the OPTIONAL stock language below for additional suggestions.

The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of doctors and hospitals. We do not endorse or recommend any specific medical provider or clinic.

Medical Tourism and Elective Surgery

• Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for information on Medical Tourism, the risks of medical tourism, and what you can do to prepare before traveling to Indonesia.
• We strongly recommend supplemental insurance  to cover medical evacuation in the event of unforeseen medical complications.
• Your legal options in case of malpractice are very limited in Indonesia.

Pharmaceuticals

• Exercise caution when purchasing medication overseas.  Pharmaceuticals, both over the counter and requiring prescription in the United States, are often readily available for purchase with little controls. Counterfeit medication is common and may prove to be ineffective, the wrong strength, or contain dangerous ingredients.  Medication should be purchased in consultation with a medical professional and from reputable establishments.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Food and Drug Administration are responsible for rules governing the transport of medication back to the United States. Medication purchased abroad must meet their requirements to be legally brought back into the United States. Medication should be for personal use and must be approved for usage in the United States. Please visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Food and Drug Administration websites for more information.

Water Quality

• Tap water is not potable. Bottled water and beverages are generally safe, although you should be aware that many restaurants and hotels serve tap water unless bottled water is specifically requested. Be aware that ice for drinks may be made using tap water.

Adventure Travel

• Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information about Adventure Travel .

General Health Language

The following diseases are prevalent:

• Tuberculosis
• Chikungunya
• Use the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended mosquito repellents and sleep under insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets. Chemoprophylaxis is recommended for all travelers even for short stays.
• Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information about Resources for Travelers regarding specific issues in Indonesia.

Air Quality

• Air pollution is a significant problem in several major cities in Indonesia. Consider the impact smog and heavy particulate pollution may have on you and consult your doctor before traveling if necessary. People at the greatest risk from particle pollution exposure include:
• Infants, children, and teens
• People over 65 years of age
• People with lung disease such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema
• People with heart disease or diabetes
• People who work or are active outdoors

Travel and Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety:  Traffic in Indonesia is hazardous, congested, and undisciplined. Traffic signals are frequently ignored and often in disrepair. Motor vehicles share the roads with other forms of transportation such as pedicabs and pushcarts. Buses and trucks are often dangerously overloaded and travel at high speeds. Accidents between a car and a motorcycle are viewed as the fault of the driver of the car. Consider these risks before driving your own vehicle, especially if you are unaccustomed to Indonesian road conditions.  When an accident results in personal injury, Indonesian law requires both drivers to await the arrival of a police officer to report the accident.

Public Transportation:   Air, ferry, and road accidents that result in fatalities, injuries, and significant damage are common. While all forms of transportation are regulated in Indonesia, oversight is spotty, maintenance may not be properly performed, and rescue and emergency capacity are limited. Indonesia has experienced several fatal plane crashes and non-fatal runway overruns in recent years. Also in recent years, several ferry accidents and a train collision resulted in dozens of fatalities and even more injuries because of over-crowding and unsafe conditions.

See our  Road Safety page  for more information. Also, visit  Indonesia's national tourist office  online for road safety information.

Aviation Safety Oversight: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the government of Indonesia’s Civil Aviation Authority as being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Indonesia’s air carrier operations.  Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page .

Since 2014, several private pilots have inadvertently crossed into Indonesian airspace and have been detained and paid heavy fines. If you intend to fly on private aircraft through Indonesian airspace, get clearances from Indonesian aviation authorities before you depart. 

Maritime Safety and Security:   Inter-island travel by boat or ferry can be dangerous: storms can appear quickly, vessels may be over-crowded and lack basic safety equipment, and safety standards vary. Ferries have sunk, resulting in loss of life. The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency records boat and ferry accidents resulting in injuries and deaths yearly. Boats and ferries used in tourism or general transportation frequently break down, stranding passengers or capsizing; not all boats are equipped with adequate life vests. Make sure you are satisfied with safety equipment and life jackets before travelling. 

Piracy:  Maritime piracy and other related crimes in and around Indonesian waters continue. Recent reports include thefts of valuables or cargo from boats that are in port and out at sea. Before traveling by sea, especially in the Strait of Malacca between Riau Province and Singapore, and in the waters north of Sulawesi and Kalimantan, review the current security situation with local authorities. Be vigilant, reduce opportunities for theft, establish secure areas on board, and report all incidents to the coastal and flag state authorities.

Maritime Travel:  Mariners planning travel to Indonesia should also check for U.S. maritime advisories and alerts on the  Maritime Administration website . Information may also be posted to the websites of the  U.S. Coast Guard  and the  National Geospace Intelligence Agency  (select “broadcast warnings”).

In recent years, private vessels have inadvertently anchored in Indonesian waters, especially near Singapore, and have been detained and paid heavy fines.

For additional travel information

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Call us in Washington, D.C. at 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 (from all other countries) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• See the  State Department’s travel website  for the  Worldwide Caution  and  Travel Advisories .
• Follow us on  Twitter  and  Facebook .
• See  traveling safely abroad  for useful travel tips.

Review information about International Parental Child Abduction in Indonesia . For additional IPCA-related information, please see the International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act ( ICAPRA ) report.

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e-Tourism beyond COVID-19: a call for transformative research

• Published: 29 May 2020
• Volume 22 , pages 187–203, ( 2020 )

Cite this article

• Ulrike Gretzel   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8416-1829 1 ,
• Matthias Fuchs 2 ,
• Rodolfo Baggio 3 , 4 ,
• Wolfram Hoepken 5 ,
• Rob Law 6 ,
• Julia Neidhardt 7 ,
• Juho Pesonen 8 ,
• Markus Zanker 9 &
• Zheng Xiang 10  

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This viewpoint article argues that the impacts of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 call for transformative e-Tourism research. We are at a crossroads where one road takes us to e-Tourism as it was before the crisis, whereas the other holds the potential to transform e-Tourism. To realize this potential, e-Tourism research needs to challenge existing paradigms and critically evaluate its ontological and epistemological foundations. In light of the paramount importance to rethink contemporary science, growth, and technology paradigms, we present six pillars to guide scholars in their efforts to transform e-Tourism through their research, including historicity, reflexivity, equity, transparency, plurality, and creativity. We conclude the paper with a call to the e-Tourism research community to embrace transformative research.

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e-Tourism: An Informatics Perspective

E-Tourism Research, Cultural Understanding, and Netnography

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 Introduction

Since being first reported by the Chinese government to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019 and later declared as a pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020 (WHO 2020 ), the COVID-19 virus, within a short period of only several months, has caused an unprecedented global crisis with enormous impacts on our political, social, and economic systems (Carlsson-Szlezak et al. 2020 ; Fuchs 2020 ). As of May 18th, 2020, more than 316,000 deaths have been recorded with more than 4.8 million people infected (see https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ ). As its negative effects continue to ripple throughout the world, governments at both regional and national levels have so far issued and implemented policies involving travel bans, community lock-down, stay-at-home orders, self- or mandatory-quarantine, and other business-specific restraints to varying degrees (Gössling et al. 2020 ). As a result, travel and tourism have literally come to a halt, and the economic activities of the airline industry and hospitality sector have been reduced to a small fraction of what they used to be prior to the pandemic. While some economies are gradually reopening, the overall situation remains volatile due to the high contagiousness of the virus and the lack of an immediate treatment or vaccine.

Crises are by no means new to tourism (Blake and Sinclair 2003 ; Sönmez et al. 1999 ); however, the impact of COVID-19, at least from an economic point of view, has so far been more devastating than any other crises in recent history (Hall et al. 2020 ; UNWTO 2020 ). As such, the crisis has brought forth new questions of how the tourism industry can respond to and recover from this crisis and, ultimately, how travel and tourism will evolve as a socio-economic activity in our society. Finding solutions and answers to these questions is becoming an increasingly important challenge for stakeholders of tourism including the research communities (Gössling et al. 2020 ; Hall et al. 2020 ; Higgins-Desbiolles 2020 ; Jamal and Budke 2020 ). More importantly, technology plays a central role in all of this.

Ever since the introduction of the Internet to business, information technology (IT) has been an important enabler, catalyst and, in some cases, disruptor for travel and tourism (Werthner and Klein 1999 ). This is particularly true in today’s world in that IT has been woven into every fabric of travel and tourism involving essentially every facet of the travel process, every stakeholder of tourism, and every subdomain of the industry (Benckendorff et al. 2019 ; Werthner et al. 2015 ; Xiang 2018 ). In light of this pandemic, there are early signs that IT has been widely used, adapted and developed to address some of the pressing problems in our daily life, including work, travel, leisure, business as well as governance. Technology has become a major factor in building resilience in tourism (Hall et al. 2017 ; UNWTO 2020 ). On the one hand, IT appears to be highly effective and, in many ways, even essential in confronting these pandemic-related problems (e.g., traveler screening, case and contact tracking, online education, and entertainment during lockdown, to name just a few). On the other hand, there are a range of broader issues and concerns resulting from society’s reaction to the crisis such as the new digital divide, vulnerability, privacy, misinformation and ethics of using technology, which would have profound and long-term effects across all layers of e-Tourism (Werthner et al. 2015 ).

Over the last three decades, e-Tourism, as a field of scientific inquiry, has evolved into a substantial body of knowledge with the focus of theory and information technology development aligned with core problems in tourism (Xiang et al. 2021 ). The profundity and complexity of the impact of COVID-19 require both a short-term reaction and a long-term readiness in order to understand some of its far-reaching effects at the fundamental level. As the intersection between IT and tourism, the field of e-Tourism must now grapple with the two “fronts” of a fast-changing new reality and tremendous prospects for long-term change. As e-Tourism researchers, we find this new reality provides both enormous challenges and exciting opportunities from the perspectives of scientific inquiry and technological innovation. e-Tourism research must now elevate itself to be ready to ask, and prepare to find answers to, some critical and significant questions regarding the role of IT in contributing to a better future of tourism and society.

As such, as the editorial team of the Journal, we strongly believe COVID-19 presents an opportunity and also an obligation for us to critically reflect on the field of e-Tourism and, as a result, to offer an outlook for a “transformative” research agenda for e-Tourism research. We develop this call for transformative research based upon a careful and critical assessment of the basic assumptions and value propositions of the existing literature in relation to the broader conversations about the future of tourism and the role of IT in society. Even though the future is uncertain, it is our responsibility to think about the challenges, opportunities, threats and possibilities that exist in the future that can be shaped by e-Tourism research in an impactful way. We believe a paradigm shift is much needed at this watershed moment, and we hope this essay will be of keen interest to the communities surrounding this journal and will help advance e-Tourism research as a whole. To achieve this aim, the paper reviews e-Tourism as a field of study, challenges the paradigms through which it is predominantly shaped, and then suggests six pillars on which to build transformative e-Tourism research.

2 e-Tourism as a field of study

Neidhardt and Werthner ( 2018 : 1) define the field of e-Tourism as encompassing the “ analysis, design, implementation and application of IT/e-commerce solutions in the travel and tourism industry, as well as the analysis (of the impact) of the respective technical/economic processes and market structures ”. This definition describes the existing research streams within the field, and especially within the Information Technology & Tourism journal, very well (Buhalis and Law 2008 ; Wang et al. 2010 ). First, the notion of IT as a “solution” represents a particular instrumental view of technology as a tool that serves businesses. Second, it stresses micro- and meso-level perspectives while ignoring macro-level questions regarding the systems and governance approaches that promote, facilitate and regulate specific kinds of technologies. This has already been criticized by Werthner et al. ( 2015 ), who emphasize the need to study e-Tourism across all five identified layers, from individuals to government/policy issues, such as ethics and sustainability. Third, this definition of e-Tourism highlights that e-Tourism research so far has been firmly rooted in a conventional rather than a post-digital, humanist paradigm. Individuals are defined and studied as consumers, users, or data sources rather than affective human beings embedded and embodied in physical and virtual communities and places. Like the businesses that provide and use technologies, they are typically conceptualized as beneficiaries of technological “solutions” and therefore willing to be participants in e-Tourism. Technology as such is seen as a given or something that should be improved rather than questioned.

e-Tourism as a subject of scientific inquiry is a dynamic field that has penetrated mainstream tourism research and is continuing to attract the attention of computer science and engineering scholars in search of application areas. However, recent review papers confirm that while the specific technologies studied constantly evolve, the research streams within e-Tourism have remained remarkably stable (Law et al. 2019 ; Navío-Marco et al. 2018 ; Touray, 2020 ; Yuan et al. 2019 ). What can be seen over the course of e-Tourism research development is the emergence of focus areas and research-activity clusters that correspond to technological advances, like Web 2.0, big data, virtual reality and smart technologies (Buhalis 2019 ). It is expected that COVID-19 related technology development and implementation will spur similar bursts in e-Tourism research.

In many ways, e-Tourism research has not necessarily been affected by the crisis. While physical tourism has come to a stand-still, past and potential tourists have been busy ruminating about past trips on social media by sharing vacation memories and/or dreaming about future vacations on destination or travel agency websites. Museums have opened virtual doors to their exhibitions and bored wannabe tourists stuck in quarantine are flocking to these and other virtual experiences. Disappointed tourists stranded on trips or at home have been using websites and mobile apps to cancel the trips and make complaints. Residents discuss in forums whether they are delighted or devastated about the disappearance of tourists from their communities and images of the positive effects on nature of the sudden disappearance of tourists from a hotspot like Venice went viral. Airbnb hosts now offer virtual experiences, social media travel influencers continue to produce contents for their audiences, and tourism providers use a multitude of online channels to maintain customer relationships and reassure future tourists. At the same time, tourism providers and their trade associations are engaging in online activism to reveal their dependence on global online platforms. These intensified or new technology use scenarios create a plentitude of data for e-Tourism research.

Simultaneously, the need for technological solutions has been heightened, encouraging the formative side of e-Tourism research to think about, and get ready for, new designs and applications. Specifically, the crisis demands technologies that can facilitate tracking and monitoring of tourists. It requires solutions that can enable the low-touch economy and controlled access scenarios necessary for physical tourism to restart. The crisis further incites thinking about scalability, dynamic systems and real-time information to accommodate rapid changes in demand and supply in anticipation of differential effects of the crisis across the globe and the likelihood of future lock-downs. e-Tourism research should find creative business intelligence solutions for destinations and tourism providers to better forecast markets, simulate scenarios and understand risks. Technologies are also needed to encourage smart business networks and strategic partnerships/information exchanges with regulatory agencies. Further, post COVID-19 technology has to accommodate shifts in consumer behavior (e.g. risk perceptions, last-minute booking, desires for advance reservations in new contexts such as museums, need for highly personalized packages) and likely changes in the interaction modus (e.g. from physical touch to voice or from input to automated detection).

There is no danger of e-Tourism running out of data or application scenarios. Consequently, e-Tourism research could continue as usual, adapting its theories, methodologies, data and design efforts to new business/government requirements and travel realities. However, COVID-19 prompts us to rethink the ontology and epistemology of e-Tourism research. We believe that, in order for e-Tourism research to contribute to knowledge creation that truly benefits the future of tourism and society, fundamental assumptions about technology need to be challenged and e-Tourism as a field of scientific inquiry needs to change.

3 Paradigms challenged: rethinking science, growth, technology in response to COVID-19

In this section, we reflect upon the opportunity the crisis provides for the transformation of e-Tourism research. Beyond the immediate health crisis, COVID-19 is essentially a crisis of economized societies rooted in the growth-paradigm (Ötsch 2020 ). In fact, governments worldwide reacted to the crisis based on prognosed GDP shortfalls and steep increases in unemployment with “rescue packages” and “shock therapies” on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, economists downplay the pandemic as a purely natural event that has originated outside of the economic system (i.e., an exogenous shock) and, thus, has nothing to do with economic structures (Nowlin 2017 ). Further, technology continues to be seen as independent from natural, social and economic systems and, rather, as something that can be used to solve specific problems associated with the crisis without considering larger societal consequences. Last but not least, science is perceived as a means to achieve the medical and technological progress needed to overcome the crisis and to resume previously charted economic growth trajectories. By referring to Brodbeck ( 2014 , 2019 ), we criticize ontological and epistemological foundations that underpin the current science, technology and growth paradigms.

3.1 The science paradigm

Historically, sciences are characterized by three assumptions: all phenomena are reducible to their own physically explainable foundations. As a necessary precondition, an independent researcher subject is capable of observing phenomena as factual objects. Finally, mathematics is considered the ideal methodological, logical and argumentative foundation to conduct “value-free” science. However, like all languages, mathematics, but also theories and facts, have shown to be aspects of the same social world and, thus, cannot be considered as separable entities (Gödel 1930 ; Putnam 2004 ). Indeed, theories and their ontological correspondence in reality are socially construed phenomena with perceived specific relevance and meaning (Brodbeck 2019 ). Scientists in general, but also researchers in e-Tourism, usually reflect too little on the “values” on which theories are based and how they are matched with data, i.e. the social practice of science.

Kuhn’s ( 1962 ) seminal work ‘ The structure of scientific revolutions ’ describes paradigm shifts as breaking-points driven by the social, psychological and ethical nature of sciences. A crisis like COVID-19 has the potential to challenge current paradigms because it rapidly changes conditions and allows “thinking about the unthinkable”. This is what Kuhn referred to as the “revolutionary” aspect of paradigm shifts and what Popper ( 1974 ) termed the “essential incompleteness of all sciences”. Particularly in times of crises, sciences are showing their paradoxes and point to the fact that not only their fundamental notions and theories, but also objectified facts and artifacts, such as experiments and technologies, are rooted in the social sphere (Latour 1987 ). It is impossible to separate theories from societal processes and to develop, discover and approve theories in an illusory separated world of scientific thinking (Brodbeck 2019 ). Therefore, a scientific paradigm shift needs to be accompanied especially by a shift in the way we think about “values” and “facts” in relation to the economic and technological foundations of society (Latour 2000 )—and of tourism in particular.

3.2 The growth paradigm

As a “calculative form of thinking”, the nature of money reproduces an empty abstract unit and, worse, executes an automatism of the more as the form of money follows the infinite series of numbers—“ the archetype of abstract growth ” (Brodbeck 2019 , 12). Being an empty abstract measuring unit itself, money needs to be related to objectivized and measured things so as to receive their price. This task of objectivization is exactly what modern sciences are primarily specialized in. However, as a consequence, production processes, but also social acts of exchange, technological processes and even skills and the arts, stop being social processes initiated by humans, and rather become “equations” of production functions (Brodbeck 2011 ). In fact, ‘ an ontic social act is ontologically redefined through a mathematical form ’ (Brodbeck 2019 , 16). Therefore, qualitative distinctions appear as numeric identities, i.e. become quantitative differences—or disappear. The uniqueness and diversity of social acts of exchange is transformed into “identical” monetary values (Brodbeck 2019 ). Moreover, monetary thinking enforces the abstract perspective, i.e. things and humans become comparable but empty units. Economic actors do not appear as humans, but as objectivized “rational” decision making machines maximizing their utility or profit.

However, the reference to such a misleading ontology leads to the paradox that economics cannot be considered an empirically exact science, exactly because “free” humans do not behave like mechanical objects of classical physics. Despite the empirical failure of economics, its successful global application and propagation show that it is, first and foremost, not a “value-free” exact science, but rather an “implicit ethic” (Brodbeck 2014 , 8). Although economic theory is not capable of explaining economic agents’ behavior empirically, its political function seems to influence and “program” human action through the prescription of what is considered economically “rational” (Brodbeck 2014 ; Ghoshal 2005 ). While represented through a system of factual statements, economic theories should be uncovered as “implicit ethics” guided by the thought model of calculative thinking and the ontological assumptions of modern science: physicalism, empiricism and mathematization (Allen 2003 ; Brodbeck 2019 ). Despite emergent questioning of the growth paradigm for tourism already before the crisis (Dodds and Butler 2019 ; Higgins-Desbiolles et al. 2019 ; Saarinen 2018 ), much of the current discourse around tourism during and after the pandemic is colored by the notion that tourism as a “demand-driven” economic activity needs to be “stimulated” so that it can “grow” again. Both science and technology are means to serving this end, rather than as transformative forces.

3.3 The technology paradigm

Growth ideology is not only the result of the economic imperative, but also of technology (Illich 1992 ; Rendall 2015 ; Samerski 2018 ). Technology is best understood as the relation of humans to their instruments (Illich 1992 ). In turn, tools and instruments are defined as means with which humans try to realize their goals, from simple knives to complex technological systems and socio-technical institutions, like factories and universities (Illich 1975 ). In fact, it is important, not to understand technology as an inevitable product of a determinist technological evolution, but rather as a “historically and culturally shaped meaning relation of man to his tools” (Samerski 2018 , 1639). However, the continuous equipping of human with productive tools inverts the relation between people and their instruments, i.e., as machines force people to behave like machines, means turn to ends (Illich 1975 ).

While today’s techno-genic institutions form a technological system that colonizes our imagination, reshapes not only our activities, but also our self-perception and social relations, it is crucial to distinguish between two types of tools (Cayley 2005 ; Illich 1975 ). “Convivial” tools are fostering the natural ability of their users to act autonomously and mindfully, thus, the tools are modified by, and adapted to, their users. By contrast, “manipulative” tools reduce man to a programmed machine operator, a client whose heteronomous behavior is unconsciously commanded to adapt (Samerski 2018 ). In fact, convivial tools are easy to use, thus requiring just learning by doing. However, as usage demands a programming of the user or societal structures and technocratic elites make tools indispensable or obligatory, their use is manipulative and out of democratic control. Convivial tools serve the purpose of the user and not vice versa, thus, “ allow the expression of personal and societal meaning ” (Samerski 2018 , 1640). Indeed, we should ask whether, e.g. smartphones, whose role in travel has been highlighted in recent e-Tourism literature, are actually means for the realization of humans’ well-being, despite all the ‘user-friendly’ designs. They not only pre-program desires and habits, but also affect the sense of the self to a degree that users might become addicted to their devices. Countless examples of such manipulative tools have been cited and discussed in recent critiques of those technologies that aim to persuade, surveille, and even “hijack” people’s mind (Harris 2016 ; Tufekci 2014 ).

Transformative technologies should limit manipulation and comprise all the powerful tools for democratic engagement, participation, transparency, deliberation and political action, as digital commons, open source technologies and open access technologies impressively show (Kallis 2011 ; Samerski 2018 ). In addition, publicly shared information is essentially a public good. Whenever new information emerges, due to its socio-historical character, it incorporates the whole societal history of information, thus, should belong to no one in particular. However, in global capitalism, information becomes a resource that favors capital accumulation, and is, therefore, treated as a commodity and ever more controlled by powerful corporations (Fuchs 2009 ). To sum up, “manipulative” tools embedded into broader paradigms of calculative thinking are programming the behavior of humans and, thus, restrict the freedom inherent to a convivial society. By contrast, “convivial” technologies convert current efficiency-focused economies of scarce means towards sufficiency-focused ecologies of desirable social goals (Dierksmeier and Pirson 2010 ; Samerski 2018 ).

The COVID-19 crisis has put e-Tourism research at a crossroads. One path leads us to focus on research that subscribes to existing scientific paradigms, conventional notions of technology and growth-driven thinking and, thus, supports bringing back tourism as we knew it. The other path takes a critical stance at what was before and how things were done and helps envision a better future. The latter path requires “transformative” research.

4 Transformative e-Tourism research

By transformative e-Tourism research we mean research that makes underlying value systems, institutional logics, scientific paradigms and particular notions of technology visible and therefore transformable. Transformative e-Tourism research encompasses research that critically analyzes and explicitly questions the designs, resulting affordances and likely consequences of technologies and presents alternatives. Further, transformative e-Tourism research transcends immediate industry needs and actively shapes e-Tourism futures. We propose that the following six pillars, namely historicity, reflexivity , transparency , equity , plurality and creativity , are especially important for guiding transformative e-Tourism research:

4.1 Historicity

There is a real danger that the COVID-19 crisis will prompt e-Tourism researchers to overly focus on new realities and ignore theory and practice established before the pandemic. By historicity we therefore mean acknowledging historical origins and development of theories and technologies over time and in close relationship with the evolution of social and political ideologies and institutions. Conceptualizing the crisis as a clean break in relation to e-Tourism and consequent dismissal of past research will only heighten the replication crisis in science, which did not receive enough attention in e-Tourism, even before COVID-19.

In particular, e-Tourism research is called to critically discuss and evaluate relevant past studies. This should lead to extracting possible common frameworks needed to assess how the modifications due to the technological solutions that will probably emerge in response to the present crisis will restructure the domain. The aim is to better understand the impacts of technologies at individual, social, economic and political levels, with an obvious focus on the tourism and hospitality domain, but also to consider other domains to avoid possible, and dangerous self-referentiality (DeSanctis and Poole 1994 ).

4.2 Reflexivity

The term is used with many variations and meanings (D’Cruz et al. 2007 ; Widmer et al. 2009 ). These variations and meanings have, however, all in common a call for a critical evaluation of, and reflection on, the research in a certain domain and awareness of the factors that influence knowledge creation. In essence, reflexive research problematizes knowledge, specifically its relationship to power and its embeddedness in social institutions. Whether referred to as a researcher’s individual history/positionality or to a team’s attitude, reflexivity is about acknowledging and scrutinizing the tacit knowledge that results from different approaches and outcomes that emerge from the literature and the practice.

Reflexive e-Tourism research explores the ways in which individual researchers, culture, social conditions and structures shape the design and use of technology, and how technology in turn influences cultural and social settings. It is also important to consider the structure of the “institutions” and industrial entities of e-Tourism and their relationship to other institutions as well as their influence on the construction of knowledge in this domain. This “sociology-of-technology” approach (Sassen 2002 ) also argues for a higher sensitivity to social and cultural differences (Lynch 2008 ).

A reflexive approach is important to provide e-Tourism research with rigorous theoretical frameworks. It is a prerequisite for implementing meaningful and effective applications and for building architectures that aim at regaining control and independence from frameworks defined or imposed by the dominant technological powerhouses. Reflexivity is also a critical step towards transparency.

4.3 Transparency

By transparency we mean revealing of implicit values. Modern science has replaced value-based argumentation with calculative forms of thinking. However, the history of science has shown that eliminating value-based ontologies is impossible. Thus, by questioning the utilitarian and instrumental nature of the current scientific mainstream, transformative e-Tourism research should acknowledge that science cannot be value-free. Both rigor and relevance of e-Tourism research have to be scrutinized from this perspective. Indeed, for rebuilding tourism in the post COVID-19 era, ontological and ethical aspects related to e-Tourism phenomena should be debated more strongly.

When making implicit values explicit, transformative e-Tourism research is critical not only because of devoting its attention to socially problematic aspects, but also by being aware that “scientifically” developed concepts and technologies always refer to certain values that are promoted and strengthened if these technologies will later be applied in society. A particularly critical stance is needed against the utopian welfare and salvation promises of artificial intelligence (AI), especially because of its incapacity to make its knowledge and value structures explicit. This stance is essential because the “learning” of AI does not take place adjacently to the external human and non-human world; rather, the learning process is intrinsically tied to it. Transformative e-Tourism research should not accept a world where AI is guiding human patterns of speaking and action as constitutive forces of an increasingly artificial sphere. Consequently, transparency is particularly important in prominent e-Tourism domains such as big data analytics or recommender systems design and evaluation.

Equity means assessing how research impacts different groups in society. In the wake of COVID-19, the equity of the impacts of e-Tourism research needs to be thoroughly considered. Social equity of the research refers to how the social impacts are distributed regarding costs and benefits and whether this distribution is considered fair and appropriate (Behbahani et al. 2019 ). We now have the tools to assess and evaluate research both as an academic output as well as based on its effects on society (Hinrichs-Krapels and Grant 2016 ).

An emphasis on equity requires e-Tourism researchers to embrace diversity and discuss the meaning and outcomes of the research from a broader perspective. For example, gender issues in AI and robotics design are becoming a pressing concern (Pritchard 2018 ). With COVID-19, we are seeing an increasing interest in automation and robotics in tourism and hospitality, but the equity of these choices are not thoroughly analyzed. Academic research should aim to develop new tools to rapidly assess the equity of e-Tourism innovations, and equity perspectives should be incorporated in e-Tourism research and design. It is also time to acknowledge the destructive side of e-Tourism research and innovations (Adner and Kapoor 2016 ; Fuchs et al. 2020 ). COVID-19 seems to drive faster innovation adoption and we need to reflect upon how this affects different groups in society.

Equity can be achieved by embracing participative society initiatives such as citizen science, enabling voluntary participation in research (Xiang and Fesenmaier 2017 ). Such opportunities are currently missing from e-Tourism research. Most research in the world is done by universities located in Europe, North America, Australia/New Zealand and East Asia. As research in science and social sciences is increasingly seen as a source of national prosperity (Meo et al. 2013 ), many countries without their own research infrastructure are under-represented in tourism research (Shen et al. 2018 ). Equity is built globally, and e-Tourism research should be able to help those most in need, including e-Tourism researchers with limited resources. Open e-Tourism initiatives could provide one pathway towards equity by democratizing data and processes. Participatory software development, for example AI algorithms developed using open source initiatives, allows the wider community to utilize technology and increases the potential to understand the effects of specific technologies on different groups in society.

4.5 Plurality

e-Tourism research that embraces more than one worldview and a diversity of approaches will significantly enrich options available for transformation in a post-COVID-19 world. E-Tourism research should not conform to a “mainstream” research agenda by narrowly defining itself as a sub-discipline of tourism or information systems. It is applied; it focuses on a variety of contexts surrounding the activities of travel and tourism; and, as such, it is problem-driven (Werthner et al. 2015 ). However, the problems it tackles emerge from a multitude of areas. It is obvious that today’s scientific inquiry fundamentally requires multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and sometimes even anti-disciplinary perspectives; and, this is particularly true in e-Tourism which is situated, by definition, at the intersection between IT and tourism as well as other increasingly important fields such as data science and digital sociology. As such, e-Tourism research should expand its ontology to enable “outside the box” thinking, and should ask more niche and critical questions that can help the field create new meanings. There are early signs of this movement in some of the recent publications in this journal on topics related to digital nomads and wellbeing in travel, which are relevant to understand emerging mobile life styles and consequences of using technology in travel within the new contexts of COVID-19 (Cook 2020 ; Mancinelli 2020 ).

COVID-19 also creates a surge in scientific research, with developments in medicine, technology and data analytics generating an unprecedentedly large amount of literature at an incredibly fast pace (Brainard 2020 ). Because of this (and the complexity of the new reality), it is much needed for e-Tourism to engage with other scientific fields with urgency, in both an ontological and an epistemological sense. Researchers must come out from their own silos to build bridges that lead to fruitful collaboration. e-Tourism research should not focus only on academic exercises; instead, it should also aim at developing innovative solutions to real world problems, such as enabling policy making around issues like societal well-being and sustainability in a prescriptive way. For example, we should encourage a bottom-up approach to technology development that focuses on creating alternatives to a purely growth-driven philosophy that assumes the more, the better. While applied, e-Tourism research should aim to improve its scientific rigor in developing conceptual and theoretical frameworks that articulate both emerging needs and emerging solutions. However, this does not mean neglecting theoretical grounding; instead, we should encourage applying theories in meaningful contexts and continuing testing and retesting them in order to establish their intellectual merit.

4.6 Creativity

Major interruptions to global tourism due to COVID-19 incite a refocusing to the core and fundamental matters in many domains, including science. Mounting critiques proclaim that science in general is very good at micro-innovations but lacks vision and ambition. Even worse, reality checks analyzing the progress made in different IT fields have reached conclusions that improvements over time are marginal at best. For instance, when surveying well-cited recent deep learning techniques in recommender system development, Dacrema et al. ( 2019 ) showed that many of them cannot be reproduced and even those that could were outperformed by comparably simple heuristic methods. Similar observations were made by Musgrave et al. ( 2020 ) who identified serious flaws in experimental setups and evaluation procedures.

This lack of creativity, originality and vision is also not unknown in e-Tourism research, a field that often deliberately self-restricts by primarily focusing on the analysis of existing IT solutions and their adoption and acceptance in tourism. These IT solutions have, however, been largely developed outside the e-Tourism community, and even worse, the e-Tourism research community has no or only limited influence on their conceptualization and design (such as, for instance, social media platforms like TripAdvisor). That said, already Hevner et al. ( 2004 ) postulate for design science research in information systems, thus the simultaneous pursuit of rigor and relevance is as timely as ever. Science should not only limit itself to rigorously re-applying widely adopted theories such as the Technology Acceptance Model (Lee et al. 2003 ; Pourfakhimi et al. 2018 ), but should also aim at creating novel and original technical artefacts and frameworks with high practical relevance or high scientific impact. Creative e-Tourism research goes beyond linear extrapolation from past developments and focuses on deliberately identifying and breaking existing boundaries.

5 Closing remarks

The preeminent American biologist and Pulitzer Prize winner E. O. Wilson once said: “ The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. ” The COVID-19 crisis has revealed the problematic nature of this situation to a great extent—from selfish panic buying of toilet paper to nations and corporations racing to re-establish the status quo, to an almost religious belief in technology as the ultimate savior. Indeed, much of the COVID-19 recovery efforts in tourism now foresee IT to be the indispensable conditio-sine-qua-non : without IT no tourism during and post-COVID-19. In many ways, this has heightened the need to better understand but also challenge, responsibly manage, and proactively create IT as both a short-term response and a long-term means for the renewal of e-Tourism.

We believe IT holds the key to understand the new pandemic-related conditions in relation to how we manage travel along with our everyday life and how we envision a better future for e-Tourism as a phenomenon and a field of inquiry. As such, in this essay we critique and question the ontology and epistemology of existing e-Tourism research, which is deeply rooted in classical assumptions about science, growth and technology and in the “medieval institutions” that shape it. We envision transformative e-Tourism research as being critical of these assumptions but also constructive by building the necessary foundations for change. Specifically, we call for e-Tourism research that is:

mindful of the past and the value of continuity (historicity);

aware of the factors that influence knowledge creation (reflexivity);

explicit about its values (transparency);

sensitive to differential opportunities to participate in research and varying impacts of its findings (equity);

open to diversity in topics and approaches (plurality); and

willing to break boundaries and be prescriptive (creativity).

The six transformative e-Tourism research pillars are, obviously, by no means all-encompassing and should not be treated as a requirement for every research project e-Tourism researchers engage in. These pillars are intended, rather, as general views that should guide future e-Tourism research as a whole to ask deeper, more impactful, and more critical questions. In addition, some of the views are not mutually exclusive because they share some even higher-level threads that are eventually connected to our fundamental value systems as a society and a civilization, which are also constantly evolving as we continue to battle this and potential future crises. Nonetheless, it is expected that this essay serves as an intellectual ‘ steppingstone ’ that supports the communities surrounding this journal, and beyond, to truly elevate e-Tourism research through rigor, relevancy, creativity, and, ultimately, more significant, diverse and equitable contributions to society.

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Ulrike Gretzel

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Gretzel, U., Fuchs, M., Baggio, R. et al. e-Tourism beyond COVID-19: a call for transformative research. Inf Technol Tourism 22 , 187–203 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00181-3

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5 Unique Ecotourism Experiences in Indonesia

Looking for fresh tourist spots to visit after the pandemic? How about taking an eco-friendly trip? Ecotourism started gaining popularity about a decade ago and environmental-friendly destinations saw a surge in interest from travelers.

Enlighten yourself with these 5 ecotourism spots in Indonesia to enhance your post-pandemic travel plans and to make a positive impact on the community:

1 | Mount Leuser National Park

Named after the lovely Mount Leuser in North Sumatra, this large park is home to thousands of unique species of wildlife, including endangered tigers and orangutans. The diversity in the soil and the altitude of this North-Sumatran treasury results in an enormous variety of flora. The fact that 45% of all known plant species in the whole Indo-Malayan region can be found in this place, makes it so unique.

Unfortunately, in 2011, UNESCO included 7,927 km2 of beautiful land on the list of World Heritage in danger, pushing the community to change its ways. Now, tourists can enjoy their visit and at the same time animals, wildlife, and community around the area can be protected. The priority is to give back to society by employing local communities and keeping the trips waste-free, leaving only footprints on this precious soil.

Observe the stunning diversity as you jungle trek with experienced local guides; witness Amorphophallus titanum, the biggest flower in the world, and watch the endangered orangutans venture deep into the jungle.

2 | Baluran National Park

Covering an area of about 250 km2, the Baluran National Park , in East Java, allows you to encounter the savannah wildlife. The lush vegetation here includes pecan nut trees, maja , and Java tamarind trees. Tourists, who love the woodland-grassland landscape, can gaze upon the 144 species of birds, including black kites or Hirundo rustica, and enjoy binocular views of the 26 mammal species that this habitat offers.

In addition to the wildlife panorama of the savannah, tourists can enjoy the Bama Beach which lies east of the area. This enchanting location offers water activities, like snorkeling and diving, to explore the abundance of nature. Baluran National Park is the perfect ecotourism destination for those who want to experience savannahs and water ventures.  

3 | West Bali National Park

This prosperous destination is located in Bali, a place loved by tourists, both local and foreign. Serving as the island’s main wildlife conservation area, West Bali National Park ’s greenery stretches across a staggering 19,000 hectares of land.

With the coarse savannahs, dense tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps, and coral reefs, tourists can witness Mother Nature at its finest here. This ecotourism spot is home to more than 300 fauna species, especially the endangered Bali starling, and serves as a protected reserve, allowing access to only those who have permission.

But no need to worry; West Bali National Park is always open for eco-tours. With the assistance of a tour guide, tourists can indulge in sightseeing on outriggers, diving, trekking, and bird-watching, some of the most popular activities here!  

4 | Komodo National Park

Featured on the list of National Geographic’s World’s Top 10 Destinations (2017), Komodo National Park serves as the perfect retreat for peace and tranquility. This park is located in the East Nusa Tenggara province and is the best place to spot the slithering four-legged reptile, the Komodo dragon. Local and foreign tourists can also discover other species of wildlife in this area, including the orange-footed scrub fowl, Timor deer, and the endemic Rinca rat.

Declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, the park has expanded its conservation goals from protecting the vulnerable Komodo dragon species to preserving the entire biodiversity. How could it not? This vast field accommodates more than 260 species of coral reefs, 1,000 diverse species of fishes, and at least 19 types of mangroves.

Tourists can enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of the island, observe the Komodo dragons with local tour guides, or even experience the park’s marine life by snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters of this ecotourism site.  

5 | Bunaken National Park

Unlike the other locations mentioned above, the Bunaken National Park serves as a tropical marine park. Established in 1991, this park has 89,065 hectares of surface area, 97% of which is warm tropical seawater and only 3% of it is land.

This park, located in Manado , North Sulawesi, is well-known for its unique bathymetry, an eye-catching attraction for scuba divers, and those who want to experience the park’s marine life. Ecotourism will contribute to assist the local community and the earnings will be spent on the conservation programs of the park.

Whether you have recently developed an interest in ecotourism or happen to be a dedicated eco-tourist, it is important to create a sustainable environment and more sustainable destinations for future generations to enjoy! These 5 breath-taking national parks do not only attract tourists but also implement eco-friendly ideas of preserving wildlife and also contribute to the local communities.

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