75% of Indonesians plan to travel during year-end holiday

A female vendor walks through a market in the popular tourist destination of Ubud in Bali. (Shutterstock/Boyloso)

JAKARTA — The year-end holiday is just around the corner. While the government is still evaluating the impact of previous long weekends on the increase in new COVID-19 cases, a recent survey by online booking service PegiPegi discovered that 75 percent of Indonesians have plans to travel during the upcoming holiday.

Involving 1,490 respondents and conducted from Nov. 9 to Nov. 16, the survey found several interesting facts about travelers’ preferences during the pandemic, including their preferred modes of transportation and types of holiday.

According to the survey, 45 percent of respondents plan to drive to other cities during the holiday, meanwhile 30 percent want to travel by plane and 11 percent will enjoy a staycation within the city.

When asked about concerns they might have about traveling during the pandemic, 66 percent of respondents shared that they had confidence in community compliance with health protocols and 65 percent of respondents believed that the destinations had been complying with the health and safety protocols.

As for the 25 percent of respondents who did not want to travel during the holiday, 44 percent of them said they did not know when they were going to travel and 32 percent said they planned to travel sometime next year.

PegiPegi corporate communications manager Busyra Oryza said in a statement that based on the survey, people’s confidence in traveling had increased.

“This is supported by the infrastructure in tourist destinations and the implementation of health and safety protocols, which make people feel more comfortable and safer,” said Busyra.

While traveling during the year-end holiday appears to be a safe activity, the government has decided to evaluate it.

Previously, Indonesia recorded an increase of between 69 and 93 percent in its daily and weekly averages of new COVID-19 cases, 10 to 14 days after the long Idul Fitri holiday. Similarly, 10 to 14 days after the long Independence Day weekend from Aug. 20 to 23, the country saw a surge of between 58 and 118 percent in daily and weekly averages of new COVID-19 cases.

There was also a surge in COVID-19 cases after October’s long weekend.

With that in mind, President Joko “Jokowi’ Widodo has instructed his subordinates to cut the 2020 year-end holiday short to curb COVID-19 transmission, a minister has said.

Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy revealed the instruction at a press conference after attending a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

“The President has requested a reduction [in collective leave days] in regard to the year-end holiday, including the substitute leave days for Idul Fitri,” Muhadjir said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.