TEMPO.CO, Tangerang - The immigration office of Soekarno-Hatta Airport reported a spike in international flight passengers during the 2023 Chinese New Year holidays.

Based on data from the immigration office, it was recorded that about 312,414 people entering to and left Indonesian territory from January 14-23, 2023. The report said about 162,722 people entered Indonesian territory, while 149,692 left the country.

"According to these data, we can assume that most people prefer to have a vacation in Indonesia, possibly because they are returning home to meet their families to celebrate Chinese New Year," said Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office, Muhammad Tito Andrianto on Tuesday 24 January 2023.

The peak trend for Indonesian citizens arriving from abroad occurred one week before the Chinese New Year celebrations, which occurred on January 15, 2023, with about 13,406 passengers. Meanwhile, the peak of foreign arrivals occurred on January 20, 2023, with 5,866 passengers.

"While not as busy as the arrival, the traffic of Indonesian citizens who departed from their country reached its peak on January 21, 2023, reaching 12,275 people," said Tito.

Whereas the peak of traffic in foreign travelers leaving Indonesia territory was on January 19, 2023, with 5,177 passengers.

Tito expressed that the current Chinese New Year holiday atmosphere felt different. This is due to the situation when the Covid-19 pandemic started to decline, and the government revoked the PPKM policy. "This also supports the increase in airline passengers, especially on international flights," he said.

Immigration in Soekarno-Hatta Airport has also noted that during January 14-23, 2023, foreigners entering and leaving Indonesian territory mostly originated from Malaysia (5,717), China (5,146), Singapore (5,094), Taiwan (4,012) and South Korea (3,853).

The foreigners leaving Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta Airport were from Malaysia (5,766), China (4,963) South Korea (3,798), Singapore (3,765), and Japan (2,737).

According to Tito, two neighboring countries, namely Malaysia and Singapore, were the top two countries whose people came in and out of Indonesia. "Maybe because in terms of location, they are the closest countries, and in terms of cost, it is the cheapest, and so far only member countries of ASEAN are visa-free," said Tito.

Meanwhile, visitors from other countries have also utilized the Visa on Arrival (VoA) to enter Indonesian territory, with 24,581 foreign nationals visiting Indonesia using VoA. "This is almost half the number of foreigners who entered in the same period," added Tito.

Based on the data, said Tito, it can be assumed that foreign nationals who enter and leave Indonesian territory were certainly expected to spend holidays during Chinese New Year.

Joniansyah | Translator: Intern / Imaji Lasahido

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