Tourism trends diverge in Riau and Riau Islands provinces

Tourism data for Indonesia's Riau and Riau Islands provinces show diverging trends for 2026. In Riau Province, foreign tourist arrivals reached 22,452 in July 2026, representing an 8.68 percent decrease from June 2026 and a 15.96 percent decline compared to July 2025. Malaysian visitors remain the largest group, accounting for 41.53 percent of total arrivals, followed by tourists from China, the Philippines, Singapore, and India. Most visitors entered via sea transport (53.33 percent).

Conversely, the Riau Islands province reported a 12.88 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals from January to July 2026, totaling 1,225,574 visits. This growth is attributed to diverse local events, including cultural festivals and international sport tourism in Bintan. Visitors to the Riau Islands are primarily from Singapore (40.27 percent) and Malaysia (28.90 percent). While July saw a monthly dip compared to June due to the end of school holidays in neighboring countries, the provincial tourism office has set an ambitious target of 2.7 million arrivals for the year.