Air travel, or boarding a plane to move locations in a destination country, is common for foreign tourists. However, it has recently been discovered that foreign tourists are also beginning to prefer travelling by train.
This phenomenon also occurs in Indonesia, where foreign tourists prefer to travel by train in every single region of the country. The number of foreign tourists travelling by train in Indonesia has increased since last year.
PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) reported an increase in the number of foreign nationals (foreigners) travelling by trains in Indonesia from January to July 2023. According to PT KAI data, 205,078 foreigners rode the train between January and July 2023. When compared to the same period in 2022, this figure increased by 82%.
“KAI, as one of the rail-based public transportation operators in Indonesia, not only serves domestic customers but also foreign customers from various countries,” said KAI VP of Public Relations, Joni Martinus. According to Joni, the increase in the number of foreign tourist passengers demonstrates that all parties, including foreign tourists, have increased their trust in KAI’s dependable, safe, and timely services.
There were 112,703 foreign passengers in total between January and July 2022. The increase in foreign train passengers could indicate that foreign tourists’ interest in riding trains in Indonesia has grown. The Argo Wilis train (Bandung-Surabaya Gubeng), the Sancaka train (Yogyakarta-Surabaya Gubeng), and the Argo Dwipangga (Gambir-Solo Balapan) train are proven to be very popular among foreign passengers.
Meanwhile, the Gambir-Bandung, Bandung-Gambir, and Gambir-Yogyakarta routes have the highest number of foreign passenger train trips between January and July 2023. Furthermore, Gambir Jakarta Station, Yogyakarta Station, Bandung Station, Pasar Senen Jakarta Station, and Surabaya Gubeng Station are the five most popular stations for foreigners visiting tourist destinations in Indonesia.
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