Seizing the School Holiday Momentum: Driving Intra- and Inter-Island Tourism through Digitalization and Storytelling
By Teguh Anantawikrama,
Vice Chairman for Technology and Digital Transformation, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (KADIN)
Vice Chairman for Technology and Digital Transformation, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (KADIN)
JAKARTA, investortrust.id – Indonesia is entering its school holiday season — a natural peak in domestic mobility that presents a powerful opportunity to activate local economies through tourism. Beyond beaches and mountains, Indonesia’s strength lies in its cultural richness and living traditions, which hold tremendous appeal for young people seeking meaningful experiences.
To fully realize this potential, we must promote intra-island and inter-island travel, while leveraging digital platforms and cultural storytelling to create deeper, more engaging journeys — especially for the youth.
Click here to get the latest news
Key Factors Revitalizing Tourism
The key factors revitalizing tourism include:
1. School Holidays as a Cultural Exploration Opportunity
School breaks are the perfect time to encourage families and youth to rediscover Indonesia’s heritage. Instead of seeing tourism as just recreation, we can frame it as a cultural exploration and identity-building experience.
Imagine:
• Visiting Banyuwangi and participating in a Gandrung dance workshop while learning the story of how it symbolizes devotion and cultural resilience.
• Exploring Minangkabau land and hearing oral tales of Cindua Mato and matrilineal traditions, while staying in authentic rumah gadang homestays.
These experiences leave an impression far deeper than any Instagram post. They shape how the younger generation sees their country and their place within it.
3. Leveraging Digital Platforms to Power Youth Tourism
To scale this movement, we must use technology to meet youth where they are — on their phones, in games, on social media, and in digital communities.
• Travel gamification: Turn local exploration into points-based experiences with prizes or digital badges.
• Augmented reality (AR) storytelling: Let kids point their phones at statues or landscapes and hear the myth behind them.
• Virtual influencer-led campaigns: Let youth icons promote local journeys as “cool” and aspirational.
Digital storytelling is the bridge between ancient wisdom and modern curiosity.
4. Unlocking Local Economies through Inter-Island Travel
By promoting affordable inter-island trips — from Java to Sumatra, from Bali to Flores — we not only spread tourism income but also spark cultural exchanges among youth. These travels deepen national unity and allow young Indonesians to appreciate the beauty of diversity.
Imagine a student in Surabaya meeting a peer in Tana Toraja — both realizing how different and yet how connected they are.
Click here to get the latest news
Indonesia Records 60th Consecutive Trade Surplus in April at $160 Million
A Nation of Storytellers, A Future of Explorers
Indonesia is not just a country of 17,000 islands — it is a country of 17,000 narratives, waiting to be rediscovered by its own people. School holidays are our chance to spark that discovery, especially among the youth who will shape the future of this nation.
Let us invest in tourism that is local, cultural, digital, and deeply human — a movement that turns holidays into homecomings, trips into teachings, and stories into shared pride.
As Vice Chairman of KADIN for Technology and Digital Transformation, I call on all stakeholders — from ministries to private sectors, from educators to digital creators — to come together and shape a new tourism movement rooted in our cultural wealth and powered by the imagination of our youth. ***