Over 760,000 Foreign Passengers Use KAI Group Services, Connecting Tourists to More Cities

Indonesia’s tourism sector continued to grow through August 2026. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded 10,578,286 international tourist arrivals from January to August 2026, up approximately 5.38% from 10,037,876 arrivals during the same period in 2025. In August 2026 alone, international tourist arrivals reached 1.60 million.

After arriving in Indonesia, many international tourists continued their journeys to cities across the country using rail-based transportation. From January to August 2026, 760,601 foreign nationals were recorded using KAI Group services, consisting of 498,232 customers on KAI’s Long-Distance and Local Train services and 262,369 Whoosh passengers.

Vice President of Corporate Communication KAI Anne Purba explained that the growth of national tourism is creating more opportunities for international tourists to travel between cities. Rail services and Whoosh have become part of their journeys to reach various destinations across Indonesia.

On KAI’s Long-Distance and Local Train services, the number of foreign customers reached 498,232 from January to August 2026, up 3.83% from 479,861 during the same period in 2025.

This was the highest figure recorded for the January–August period in the past five years. During the same period, KAI served 170,094 foreign customers in 2022, followed by 383,732 in 2023, 447,655 in 2024, 479,861 in 2025, and 498,232 in 2026.

Compared with January–August 2022, the number of foreign customers in 2026 increased by 328,138 customers or 192.92%. This means the volume has nearly tripled over four years.

On an annual basis, KAI served 300,708 foreign customers in 2022, 580,995 in 2023, 669,226 in 2024, and 694,123 in 2025. The 2025 figure was the highest annual volume during the period.

Yogyakarta Records the Highest Foreign Customer Activity
KAI data also shows the cities where foreign customers are most active. From January to August 2026, Yogyakarta Station recorded the highest foreign customer activity at 93,189 customers, followed by Gambir with 84,011, Bandung with 45,400, Pasarsenen with 25,080, and Surabaya Gubeng with 24,543.

Other stations included Semarang Tawang with 18,032 customers, Malang with 17,391, Probolinggo with 12,148, Surabaya Pasar Turi with 11,491, and Solo Balapan with 10,158.

The distribution shows that international tourist travel is not concentrated in a single city. Jakarta serves as one of the starting points, with travel continuing to Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Surabaya, Malang, and Probolinggo, each offering different tourism experiences.

The travel pattern also comes amid increasingly diverse international tourist arrivals to Indonesia. In August 2026, BPS recorded year-on-year growth in arrivals from Africa at 14.78%, ASEAN at 10.40%, Oceania at 7.95%, the Americas at 7.31%, Asia excluding ASEAN at 6.83%, and the Middle East at 2.86%. Meanwhile, arrivals from Europe declined by 3.07%.

Growth in foreign customers on KAI’s Long-Distance and Local Train services was also evident in the first half of the year. During the first half of 2026, KAI served 308,874 foreign customers, up 2.54% from 301,219 during the same period in 2025.

Following the first half of the year, foreign customer volume reached 96,940 in July 2026, the highest monthly figure from January to August. In August 2026, the figure stood at 92,418 customers.

Whoosh Serves 262,000 Foreign Passengers Through August 2026
International tourist mobility was also reflected in Whoosh services. From January to August 2026, Whoosh served 262,369 foreign passengers.

Since beginning operations in 2023 through August 2026, Whoosh has cumulatively served 944,087 foreign passengers. The figure consisted of 28,906 passengers in 2023, 251,525 in 2024, 401,287 in 2025, and 262,369 from January to August 2026.

As Whoosh began operating in 2023 and its data period differs from KAI’s Long-Distance and Local Train services, its growth is presented based on passenger volume since the service began operating.

Among Whoosh’s foreign passengers from October 2023 through August 2026, Malaysia recorded the highest number with 403,626 passengers, followed by Singapore with 113,356, China with 81,971, Japan with 45,046, and South Korea with 30,888.

With Whoosh connecting Jakarta and Bandung and KAI’s Long-Distance and Local Train services reaching cities across Java and Sumatra, international tourists have more options for planning their journeys while exploring Indonesia.

Foreign tourist mobility is also part of KAI Group’s overall passenger growth. From January to August 2026, KAI Group served 351,602,397 customers, up 7.09% from 328,311,868 customers during the same period in 2025.

Moving forward, KAI Group will continue maintaining safe, comfortable, and accessible services so that rail-based transportation can support international tourists in reaching more destinations across Indonesia.