Respect local customs and dress modestly, with shoulders and legs covered no calves or more, especially when visiting religious sites. Keep a sarong handy for unexpected need!

• Respect Wildlife: Avoid zoos and any form of animal entertainment. Instead, support conservation efforts and observe wildlife in their natural habitats.
• Check safety ratings and sustainability of local transport and boat services before booking.
• Remain flexible for potential travel delays.
• Personal space: be mindful Indonesians may stand closer than in Western cultures
• Greetings: typically involve a handshake; it’s polite to wait for a woman to initiate.

Indonesia’s economy is the largest in Southeast Asia, 5th largest in Asia and the 10th largest globally in terms of purchasing power parity: In 2022 GDP ~$1.32 trillion, exports $293 billion and imports $230 billion, and expected to grow above the Asia ex-Japan average. (Focus Economics, Trade)

Services account for 47% of GDP, manufacturing 19%, other industrial activity 21%, and agriculture 13% (2021). (Focus Economics)

Indonesia is rich in natural resources, being a major producer of nickel, palm oil, copper, coal, tin, and bauxite. (Focus Economics)

The country faces challenges including poverty, inequality, infrastructure bottlenecks, and corruption, which impact its potential.

However, from July 2023, Indonesia regained its upper-middle income status according to the World Bank’s classification.

Tourism has historically contributed 4.5-5% GDP and supported 22 million jobs, though with a dip for Covid-19. In 2024, Indonesian Rupiah Rp 1,131 trillion ($69.91 billion USD) is expected. Domestic visitor spending in particular is increasing. (WTTC)

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelagic state, consisting of over 17,500 islands with more than 81,000 kilometres of coastline.

The country’s extremely varied geography, topography, and climate, ranges from sea and coastal systems to peat swamps and montane forests.

Rainforests of Sumatra: Sumatra is a wildlife haven, home to leopards, tigers, elephants, and rhinos. However, deforestation poses a significant threat to these habitats.

Coral Reefs: Indonesia boasts 86,700 km² of coral reefs and is part of the Coral Triangle, a global hotspot for marine biodiversity. Raja Ampat and Komodo are prime destinations for diving.

Mangrove Forests: Indonesia boasts 24,300 km² of mangrove forests, crucial for coastal protection and biodiversity support, and vital for carbon sequestration.

Indonesia’s Challenges include:

Plastic Pollution: Indonesia is the second-largest plastic polluter globally, producing 3.22 million tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste annually, with about 1.29 million tonnes becoming ocean plastic waste.

Deforestation: Large areas of Indonesia’s rainforests have been cleared for palm oil plantations and other agricultural activities though there has been a decreasing trend in annual tree cover loss over recently.

Emissions: Land-use, land-use change, and forestry have accounted for almost half of the country’s total emissions over the last 20 years. Energy, with a large coal plant fleet, represents about one-quarter of Indonesia’s emissions.

Policy and Regulations: the Solid Waste Management Act and more recent initiatives attempt to cap emissions.

Indonesia vast geography and diverse population offers is a vibrant tapestry of cultures and communities.

Indonesia is home to over 1,300 distinct ethnic groups that speak around 700 languages. The most prominent ethnic group is the Javanese, followed by Sundanese and Balinese. Despite this, a shared official motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (‘Unity in Diversity’) inscribed in the National emblem of Indonesia, the Garuda Pancasila, unites Indonesians under a national identity.

Religion and Beliefs

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, where ~88% of Indonesians identify as Muslim. The remaining 12% embrace a variety of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. This religious pluralism is reflected in numerous colourful festivals and rituals celebrated throughout the year, showcasing Indonesia’s cultural richness.

Traditional Arts and Crafts

Indonesia has a rich artistic heritage, including traditional crafts such as batik, ikat weaving, and wood carving. Each region has its unique styles and techniques, often influenced by local customs and beliefs. The performing arts, such as gamelan music and wayang kulit (shadow puppetry), are integral to Indonesian culture, providing insight into its history and values.

Culinary Traditions

Each region offers unique flavours and dishes. Common ingredients include rice, spices, and fresh vegetables. Popular dishes like nasi goreng (fried rice)l satay and rendang (spicy meat dish) reflect the country’s culinary heritage. Dining is often a communal experience, with food served in large bowls for sharing.

Community and Family

Family is central to Indonesian society, often extending beyond the nuclear family to include a broader network of relatives. Community ties are strong, and social gatherings play a significant role in daily life. Visitors are encouraged to engage with locals, participate in community events, and respect traditional customs.

Indonesia has a tropical climate with relatively constant temperatures year-round:
Coastal plains average 28°C, inland areas 26°C, and higher mountain regions 23°C.

Indonesia experiences seasonal precipitation typical of tropical climates, although climate change is making these seasons less predictable:

April to October: the Dry Season features less rainfall and lower humidity; the best time to visit Indonesia for outdoor activities and travel.

November to March: the Wet Season brings heavy rainfall and high humidity. This is when most of the country experiences its peak precipitation, particularly in coastal and lowland areas.

Indonesia Weather Variations

Sumatra and Borneo: These regions experience significant rainfall, especially during the wet season, with some areas receiving over 3,000 mm (118 inches) annually.

Bali and Nusa Tenggara: Bali has a similar climate to Java, while Nusa Tenggara experiences a drier climate, particularly in the eastern islands.

Java: The weather is slightly milder, with the central highlands experiencing cooler temperatures. The rainy season can lead to flooding in urban areas.

Papua: The coastal areas are humid and wet, while the highlands can be cooler with more stable weather patterns.

Indonesia Climate Change Trends

Indonesia is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, which could cost between 2.5–7% of the country’s GDP, with agricultural sector, fisheries, infrastructure, and tourism vulnerable and the poorest bearing the brunt. (World Bank)

Mean annual temperatures have increased by about 0.8°C above the 1951-1980 baseline in the period 2010-2017.

Projections show temperatures could rise by 1.6°C by 2050 and up to 3.9°C by 2100 under a high-emissions scenario.

There’s an overall decrease in average annual precipitation, though trends vary across regions: some areas have seen increased rainfall.

There’s been increase in frequency and intensity of heatwaves, with projections showing 8% longer heatwaves and a 98% increase in heatwave frequency by 2050 under a high-emissions scenario.

More frequent and intense floods, droughts, and storms are expected.

Sea Level Rise: Projections suggest thousands of islands and coastal areas could be affected by tidal flooding by 2050.

Surface sea temperatures could increase by 1.5°C by 2050 in a high carbon scenario.

Increasing ocean acidification is expected and fish catch potential could reduce by up to 20.3% if temperatures rise by 1.5°C until 2050, along with threats to coral reefs, mangroves, and coastal ecosystems.

Conservation in Indonesia

Conservation efforts in Indonesia began during the Dutch colonial period in the late 19th century.

Deforestation of mountain slopes in Java was recognised as a problem around 1850, leading to the establishment of a colonial Forest Service. The 1884 Forest Ordinance stipulated the preservation of watershed-protecting forests (on land that drains its water to a lake or river) and from about 1890 onwards, protected forests were created.

The Dutch Forest Service personnel then largely drove the conservation movement, urging the colonial government to take legislative action on nature protection, resulting in the creation of nature and wildlife reserves.

After independence (1945), prior association of conservationism with colonialism led to limited local support. In 1970, there were attempts to restore relations with the Netherlands by accepting grants to restore Kota Tua (Old Dutch Colonial City in Jakarta), but this discontinued.

Focus shifted to preserving traditional architecture, often by creating miniatures of traditional Indonesian houses in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), a culture-based recreational area in East Jakarta, and preservation of some grand traditional buildings like Kraton Surakarta Palace.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there were various conservation projects and studies, including:

• Surveys and management plans for nature reserves like Meru Betiri and Baluran.
• Studies on habitat management for specific species like the Banteng.
• International collaborations, such as Borobudur’s Temple conservation, The largest restoration project by the Indonesian government and UNESCO (1983).
• In 1999, the Dutch Colonial Building of ex-House of Reiner De Clerk (Gedung Arsip Nasional) was successfully conserved with Dutch support.

Now, Indonesia reflects a complex interplay between colonial legacies, post-independence nationalism, and evolving attitudes towards both natural and cultural heritage preservation. The approach has shifted from colonial-era initiatives to government along with grassroots efforts from NGOs and the cooperation of religious leaders and application of Islamic principles, including fatwas.

To date, implementation of conservation has been hampered by deforestation and mining.

As of 2023, Indonesia has gazetted 21.3% of its land and 9% of its maritime area as protected areas, with the intention of targets to increase these in line with the global Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Formal tourism initiatives began in Indonesia in the Dutch colonial era around 1908 when the Dutch government established Vereeneging Toesristen Verker (the ‘Association for Tourist Traffic’) to develop and promote tourism in the Dutch East Indies to stimulate the local economy by attracting visitors from abroad.

In recent years, Indonesia has shown increasing dependence on the tourism sector.

Indonesia is actively working to build a quality, sustainable, and environmentally friendly tourism industry, implementing policies to improve people’s well-being through participation in the tourism industry, such as tourism villages and eco-tourism.

Indonesia has aligned itself with regenerative tourism concepts, going beyond sustainability to actively improve destinations with initiatives such as:

• Carbon emission offset programmes
• Planting of mangrove trees
• Reef restoration projects
•  Activities to address waste and food waste
• “Every Step Matters” movement established by the Minister for tourism and creative economy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the tourism sector by up to 50% by 2030 and to achieve zero emissions by 2045.

Other movements have been started by passionate private individuals, such as Melati and Isabel Wijsen who were just 12 and 10 years old when they founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags (BBPB) in 2013 due to no proper waste management system on Bali, which became one of biggest youth movements fighting plastic waste. After 6 years of campaigning, single-use plastic bags were banned in Bali, and the sisters are now committed to raising awareness about sustainable development with a social enterprise supporting women’s empowerment, producing alternative bags, and organising Bali’s Biggest Clean Up, which mobilises more than 60,000 people across 430 sites on the island and has collected more than 155 tons of plastic.

Indonesia also plans to develop five super-priority tourism destinations, to offer more than just Bali which suffers not just from plastic pollution and its impact on water courses, but also congestion, air pollution and overtourism: poor infrastructure is frequently a challenge in Indonesia’s islands.

One of these new destinations is Indonesia’s plan to move its capital city away from congested and sinking Jakarta, to Nusantara, a $32-billion city under construction in the jungles of East Kalimantan on Borneo and to develop the new capital as a sustainable tourist destination. Construction began in 2022 with land clearing…and is expected to begin moving civil servants in from autumn 2024.

Indonesia joined OPEC in 1962 as a major oil exporter, but has since become a net oil importer.

As of 2013, Indonesia has been a leader in geothermal energy, with the third-largest installed generating capacity in the world.

Indonesia also has significant hydropower potential though under-utilised in recent years.

Where traditional biomass (mainly wood) has long been a primary energy source for cooking, especially in rural areas, more recently, there have been efforts to develop more sustainable biomass energy, such as a Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Power Generator project inaugurated in 2014.

In 2017, Indonesia issued the National Energy General Plan (RUEN), setting targets for New and Renewable Energy to reach 23% of the total energy mix by 2025 and 31% by 2050.

It has also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29% by 2030 (or up to 41% with international support) and phasing out coal power by the 2040s, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.

Wind farms have recently been developed and a floating solar power plant in West Java is set to become the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

But transition has been slow with regulatory uncertainty, bureaucratic hurdles, and the dominance of cheap coal.

In 2024 following President Joko Widodo’s re-election, Indonesia announced a $400 billion infrastructure plan, including the construction of new airports and power plants to boost economic growth, and working in collaboration with global partnerships to deliver decarbonisation and sustainable energy.

Energy and Transport: Targets include 100% electric vehicle adoption by 2050 and ensuring that 70% power generation from renewables.

Deforestation: Indonesia has implemented a moratorium on new licenses for logging and palm oil plantations in primary forests and peatlands to combat deforestation.

Marine and conservation: Indonesia is establishing national parks and protected areas, as well as initiatives to restore fish stocks and promote sustainable fishing practices.

Plastics: Indonesia has banned single-use plastic bags in major cities, launched campaigns to raise awareness about waste management and recycling and introduced innovative waste-to-energy solutions to reduce pollution.

Sustainability Forums: Platforms like the Indonesia Sustainability Forum foster collaborations and best practice sharing across stakeholders to advance global efforts in sustainable growth.

Tourism: Indonesia is developing tourism villages and promoting eco-tourism to ensure that growth is sustainable and benefits local communities.

The focus on regenerative tourism aims to not only sustain but improve destinations, ensuring long-term environmental and social benefits.