Garuda Indonesia, Mastercard seek to turn foreign arrivals into multi-destination trips

Garuda Indonesia is partnering with Indonesia’s ministry of tourism and Mastercard to encourage international visitors to explore more destinations beyond the country’s main entry points through the Garuda Indonesia Stopover programme.

The initiative allows eligible passengers travelling on selected long-haul and regional international routes to add a domestic flight to participating destinations at no additional cost when booking their tickets.

The programme is designed to shift foreign tourist travel from being concentrated around major gateways such as Bali and Jakarta towards multi-destination journeys, potentially extending visitor stays and spreading tourism spending to more regions.

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Mukhtaris, acting commercial director at Garuda Indonesia, said the national carrier intends to use its domestic network to connect international visitors with destinations across the country.

“As Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda Indonesia plays a strategic role in connecting international tourists not only to Indonesia’s main entry points, but also to various destinations through our domestic network,” he said.

According to 2025 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), as processed by Garuda Indonesia, foreign tourist arrivals remain heavily concentrated in Bali, which recorded 6.9 million visits, and Jakarta, with 2.8 million visits.

The airline said the Stopover programme is intended to add value to inbound journeys while increasing domestic traffic and tourist movement within Indonesia.

Mastercard is supporting the initiative by using its global network and consumer insights to encourage visitors to direct more of their spending beyond Indonesia’s primary entry points.

Aileen Goh, country manager at Mastercard Indonesia, said the programme would connect international visitor spending with local tourism ecosystems.

“Through access to our global cardholder network, we are directing cross-border spending directly into regional tourism ecosystems, local artisans and MSMEs across the archipelago,” Aileen said.

As part of the programme, Mastercard will run targeted promotions in Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea. It will also target international visitors who have already arrived in Bali through digital channels, encouraging them to add domestic destinations to their itineraries.

Destinations being targeted for greater visitor flows include Lake Toba, Borobudur, Mandalika and Labuan Bajo, with the partners expecting increased tourist spending to benefit businesses and tourism operators in these areas.

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