Sustainable tourism continues to grow
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily - Pariwisata berkelanjutan terus tumbuh
15 April 2025
By Indah Ayu Putri
Jakarta, ID – Since the pandemic, the trend of sustainable tourism or eco-tourism has shown significant growth. This is reflected in the substantial increase in eco-friendly accommodations.
CEO and Co-Founder of Tiket.com, Michael Gaery Undarsa, explained that there has been an increase of about 27% compared to the previous period. Seeing this opportunity, Tiket.com has launched Tiket Green, which offers sustainable tourism accommodations.
"Popular tourist destinations remain the same. Of course, Jakarta is one, but Bali, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya are still very popular. In terms of numbers, they are the ones that can adopt Tiket Green the most," he said at the Tiket.com and Plataran Indonesia collaboration event in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Monday (14/4/2025).
Gaery noted that these increases reflect the public's interest and desire to adopt or choose more responsible and sustainable options. "We also observed from the data that around 86% of all surveys indicate that eco-tourism will be a very important trend in 2024 and 2025," he said.
Additionally, according to YouGov’s data, 85% of tourists aged 16-34 consider eco-friendly practices or eco-tourism to be very important. "This means that eco-tourism is no longer just a nice-to-have but something essential that we must have and even promote," said Gaery.
Based on the data, 71% of tourists show that they are very open to sustainable tourism recommendations. These aspects are important for Tiket.com to promote.
"We feel that as one of the largest platforms in Indonesia, Tiket.com has the responsibility and obligation to educate the public about eco-tourism or sustainable tourism more effectively," he explained.
As an online travel agent (OTA), Tiket.com strives to continuously improve its technology to meet customer needs. Gaery explained that technology is the best way to do this. They have a customer base that directly includes their demographics.
"We have customer categories that show their travel behaviour. We can see this data, so we know which content or information is appropriate to offer them," he explained.
Last year, Tiket.com launched a feature called Tiket Green. This is Tiket.com's first feature to identify partner companies that have adopted sustainable tourism practices well.
"Tiket Green makes it easier for customers to access. So, when they log in, they can just click on a special feature to specify partners or properties that have adopted eco-tourism sustainability very well," said Gaery.
So far, Tiket Green has grown significantly. Gaery revealed that last year there were about a thousand accommodation properties, but now there are 2,500 accommodations identified in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. This means that property or accommodation owners are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainable tourism. "This means that the education efforts by the community, Tiket.com, social media, Plataran and the G=overnment are working well and yielding good results," he said.
Gaery hopes that with this technology, they can continue to socialise this issue. He sees that the younger generation is more concerned about sustainability compared to the previous generation. "So, it is increasingly important for us in the hospitality industry in Indonesia to adopt this," said Gaery.
Collaboration with Plataran Indonesia
The rise of sustainable tourism has prompted Tiket.com to enter a strategic partnership with Plataran Indonesia. Gaery sees a similarity and compatibility between Tiket.com and Plataran Indonesia. They both want to socialise and encourage Indonesian society to travel more responsibly and environmentally friendly. "We see Plataran as a role model for eco-tourism in Indonesia. It is an Indonesian brand. Not only that, but the locations chosen by Plataran are always very exotic and truly represent Indonesia," he explained.
Meanwhile, President Director of Plataran Indonesia, Anastashia Sri Handayani, said that Plataran upholds the philosophy of positive and active impact. "Wherever Plataran is established, it must have a positive impact on the environment, society, and preserve nature and culture. This is based on our DNA, which consists of three elements: nature, culture and community," she said.
Therefore, Tiket.com and Plataran Indonesia are offering an additional 5% cashback promotion or up to Rp300,000 for bookings at all Plataran properties, valid from 7 April 2025 to 24 April 2025.
Challenges and opportunities
This collaboration is aimed at maintaining Tiket.com's positive performance until the end of the year. As is known, the current economic conditions are still facing the impact of the US trade war. Gaery sees that this trade war will affect domestic tourism.
"If we look at it, there might be some effects, but we can't predict it. In my opinion, the second quarter might be a bit softer compared to the first quarter of this year. Usually, the second quarter is a bit challenging for the tourism industry in Indonesia," he said.
However, Gaery is grateful that tourism in the first quarter of this year is still good. He explained that compared to the same period last year, flights increased by 35% and accommodations by 40%.
In terms of the ratio between flights, accommodations and others, Gaery explained that hotels always show the most significant increase. "Accommodation growth has been very good for Tiket.com in 2024. We hope that in 2025, accommodation will continue to be the most significant," he said.
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