South Sumatra Targets 5,000 Foreign Tourists After Airport Status Upgrades

South Sumatra Targets 5,000 Foreign Tourists After Airport Status Upgrades

Monday, 09 Jun 2025

The South Sumatra (Sumsel) Tourism Office is targeting five thousand foreign tourist visits in 2025. This target was set after Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport was upgraded to an international airport in April 2025.

Acting Head of the South Sumatra Tourism Office, Pandji Tjahjanto, said that the target of five thousand international tourists was made because of the inaugural Palembang-Kuala Lumpur-Palembang flight initiated by AirAsia starting in September or October.

"If the international flight is opened for the first time in September, our target will be five thousand visitors," said Pandji when met at the South Sumatra Governor's Office on Monday, June 2, 2025.

Previously, the target for foreign tourist visits to Palembang was only three thousand in 2025. This figure was set considering that the number of tourists in 2024 was still relatively small after the airport's status was downgraded to domestic. That is why the opening of international flights, said Pandji, can attract foreign tourists. Moreover, the recording is carried out in an orderly manner at SMB II Airport.

"Yesterday, there were 2,400 foreign tourist visits recorded through Soekarno Hatta Airport. Now we are targeting to increase it, at least half of the visits before Covid," he said.

Foreign Tourist Visits Before the Pandemic

According to the records of the South Sumatra Tourism Office, Pandji said that the achievement of foreign tourists before the Covid-19 pandemic or when the airport still had international status, there were 10 thousand visits recorded. "If possible, we can get half of it this year. If possible, more," he said.

Meanwhile, with the first international flight, the Tourism Office will launch tour packages that will collaborate with associations to attract tourists.

According to him, the existence of tour packages can make it easier for foreign tourists to choose destinations in South Sumatra. Pandji admitted that access to tourism in South Sumatra is still limited.

Pandji hopes that by holding tour packages, tourists can find out the destination and potentially increase their stay in South Sumatra. "If the destinations in South Sumatra are religious tourism, culinary and historical tourism. For now, the locations that are the center of destinations are Palembang, Pagaralam, and Musi Rawas," he said.