Jakarta. Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno recently said that “revenge travel” -- a term for people enthusiastically going on holidays after the Covid-19 restrictions got lifted -- would slow down this year.

Revenge travel was skyrocketing in 2022-2023.

“But it [the revenge travel] will likely drastically decline. It is forecast that the developments and patterns of the tourism industry will return to normal, just like before the pandemic,” Sandiaga was quoted as saying in a recent press statement, commenting on the data shown at the recent 2024 ITB Berlin Convention.

Even though it will return to normal, there are still a number of challenges facing global tourism. Among these are issues related to geopolitics, economic slowdown or inflation, and also problems regarding staff shortages.

“The tourism industry is forecast to fully recover in 2025,” Sandiaga said.

The industry is also increasingly adopting technology. As many as 38 percent of global tourists plan to travel with the concept of once-in-a-lifetime travel in 2024. About 77 percent of global tourists plan, book, and dream their travels digitally. Around 48 percent of tourists now search for their destinations via mobile phones. Some 47 percent look for flights via apps, while 40 percent also make reservations on their phones. Around 22 percent of tourists already use artificial intelligence or chatbots when planning their travels.

Social media is also the main inspiration for global tourists to travel. As many as 40 percent of global tourists use YouTube as a source of inspiration for traveling, 35 percent are inspired by word of mouth, and 33 percent are inspired by Instagram (social media).

According to Sandiaga, as many as 100 million Chinese citizens are expected to travel this year, especially long-haul trips. Cruise tourism has also reportedly gained huge interest from Chinese tourists.

"But this is a challenge for us because Indonesia is still implementing a visa policy that is not as open as other neighboring countries. We have not met sufficient direct flight quotas. This is both a challenge and an opportunity to attract tourists from China," said Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga.

The 2024 ITB Berlin Convention also showed that culinary tourism held great potential. About 46 percent of global tourists considered tasting local culinary delights as the top activity during their travels. About 42 percent prefer walking and sightseeing. Some 40 percent prefer spending time in coastal areas.

The Asian market is expected to continue to increase. The tourists will come in small groups and prefer to visit and engage in outdoor tourism activities such as going to the beach and visiting cultural and historical sites.

"We must be able to use this data. We must make the best use of this opportunity," Sandiaga said.