JAKARTA: More than 750 Malaysian tourists a day travelled on Indonesia’s Whoosh high-speed train in early September, boosted by long weekend holidays in both countries, the operator said.
Since its launch in October 2023, the service has carried 528,000 foreign passengers, of whom Malaysians made up the largest share with 225,000, or 43 per cent, according to PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC).
KCIC spokesperson Eva Chairunisa said foreign tourists regarded Whoosh not only as a means of transport but also as part of their travel experience in Indonesia.
“Dozens of Malaysian tour groups arrive daily, either from the airport or after visiting Jakarta, before continuing on to Bandung aboard the Whoosh train,” she stated in a statement.
Whoosh is Southeast Asia’s first high-speed rail service, linking Jakarta with Bandung in under 50 minutes on 150-kilometre route, compared with one and a half to three hours by toll road.
The journey to Bandung in West Java, a favourite weekend escape for Jakarta residents, can take over four hours during holiday congestion and even longer at peak times.
KCIC, together with Indonesia’s tourism ministry and local authorities, is also stepping up overseas promotion, including exhibitions, familiarisation trips and collaborations with Malaysian travel vloggers to reach wider audiences, Eva added.
Malaysian travellers topped Indonesia’s overall foreign arrivals list in July, accounting for around 212,000 of the 1.48 million visits recorded that month.
However, arrivals from Malaysia fell 0.28 per cent compared with June, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data – BERNAMA