Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s 2026 Eid al-Fitr holiday drove a surge in leisure travel and lifted tourism spending, supporting the national economy, the tourism ministry said on Wednesday.Deputy Tourism Minister Ni Luh Puspa cited transportation ministry data showing 147.55 million people traveled during the March 13–29 holiday period.She said about 12 percent of travelers, or 17.27 million people, visited tourist destinations, up from 6.3 percent in 2025.“However, these are estimates; official data will be issued by Statistics Indonesia (BPS),” she said in a press release.Popular destinations included Malioboro in Yogyakarta, Ancol, the National Monument (Monas), and Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta.Other crowded sites were Semarang Old Town, Al Jabbar Mosque in Bandung, Pangandaran Beach, Demak Grand Mosque, Sarangan Lake in Magetan, and Taman Safari Indonesia in Bogor.Tourism spending rose sharply to about Rp19.86 trillion (US$1.16 billion) in 2026 from Rp11.04 trillion (US$648.6 million) a year earlier, Puspa said.The increase reflects a shift from household consumption toward experience-based spending, particularly in tourism, she added.The ministry recorded 6.66 million passenger movements to 10 priority tourism destinations, up 13.74 percent from the 2025 Eid period.These destinations include Lake Toba, Borobudur Temple, Mandalika, Likupang, Wakatobi, Raja Ampat, Labuan Bajo, Morotai, Tanjung Kelayang, and Bromo-Tengger-Semeru.Passenger movements to three regenerative destinations—Bali, Greater Jakarta, and the Riau Islands—reached 6.1 million, a 24.63 percent increase year-on-year.Estimated spending at priority and regenerative destinations exceeded Rp12.27 trillion, accounting for about 61.8 percent of total national tourism expenditure.Puspa said the government implemented measures to improve services during the holiday period.These included preparing travel packages, encouraging lower transport fares, monitoring 173 tourist attractions, and issuing guidelines to ensure safe and comfortable travel.She added that coordination with stakeholders helped maintain service quality amid the surge in visitor numbers.