Photo credit: indonesia.travel
Indonesia won the title of Asia's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination at the 2024 World Travel Awards held on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 in Manila, Philippines. This title was previously given to Japan, Thailand, and Sri Lanka in previous years in turn. This year, several other countries nominated for the category of Asia's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination are China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The World Travel Awards is an award event for countries for their excellence in various sectors of the tourism industry. Awards are given annually based on votes from professionals in the travel industry and the general public.
Thanks to its geographical location, Indonesia offers extraordinary natural wealth. From majestic active volcanoes to lush tropical forests, and beautiful coral reefs in the ocean. All of these are the main attractions for adventure tourists. The characteristics and experiences of each adventure tourism object are different in each place, from trekking in the mountains such as Rinjani, to rafting on the fast-flowing rivers of Kalimantan. In fact, Komodo Island offers a rare experience with conservation tourism, where tourists can see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat.
Indonesia doesn’t only rely on its natural beauty, but also continues to innovate in developing authentic adventure tourism experiences. Currently, global travel agents are contributing to promoting adventure tourism in Indonesia. Quoted from Antara, the international travel agent Interpid Travel focuses on direct interaction with local communities and traditional accommodation. They are targeting to increase the number of tourists to Indonesia to 20,000 people in 2030 and 4,000 tourists in 2024, with special tourism in Sulawesi, Raja Ampat, Kalimantan, and Flores.