Wealth in Indonesia is on the rise. At a time of decline in Japan, China, India, Hong Kong and Singapore, luxury spending in Indonesia is being fueled by a boost in the number of middle class and upper income groups. Already Southeast Asia’s largest economy, Indonesia is set to account for 40% of ASEAN growth through 2030 (Mckinsey) and with its young population, rapidly expanding middle class, and massive urbanization, its economy seems destined to continue to outperform its neighbours.
Jakarta’s Erza S.T. is Indonesia’s most prolific travel writer and a regular attendee of ILTM Asia. I asked him where his wealthy Indonesian readers want to go to next.
Affluent Indonesian travellers are most interested in Japan, Korea, Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
They want to find out about new destinations or cities that are not yet commonly explored. Iceland and Morocco are becoming really popular. Africa and South America are definitely a whole new destination to be discovered.
When choosing which properties to feature, it is important to me to have not only a great angle but also concept and originality, whether in design, native culture or nature itself.
I find my own travel inspiration from word of mouth from well-travelled friends and other travel writers is quite significant to me. Social media such as Twitter and Instagram also help to give me idea about what will be the next ‘it’ destination. And ILTM Asia of course.
The biggest story in luxury travel last year? The arrival of Sri Lanka on the luxury travel map. People are quite excited to go there and see what the country is all about. The fact that they have 2 restaurants on ‘Asia’s 50 best restaurants’ list this year (Ministry of Crab and Nihonbashi), really gives Sri Lanka a lot of hype.
My prediction for the next 12 months? For Indonesia, Europe will always be big as there are so many countries to explore. Countries such as Slovenia and Bosnia might be the next big thing. I am also curious about the raising of Caucasus region that attached to the European continent. In South East Asia, my bet is on Myanmar, it gets stronger by the day.
Erza S.T. is a regular attendee of ILTM Asia, which takes place in Shanghai, June 5th-8th. To find out more about the show, including how to apply to exhibit, click here.