Holidayers cash in on rupiah dip
PETALING JAYA: Permisi (excuse me), but Malaysians are going to Indonesia!
Holidaymakers are heading to the republic to take advantage of the weak rupiah.
Marketing executive Jerry Lim, 30, is planning to visit Indonesia next month.
“The cost of living there is generally quite affordable. And considering our currency now, it will be a good travel destination.
“Food is cheaper. Furthermore, we’re looking forward to purchasing the local products there, which is what we always do whenever we travel to Indonesia,” said Lim, who will be going to Batam with his cousins.
As at 5pm yesterday, 100 rupiah was worth RM0.026.
Reports emerged last month that the rupiah had dropped to its lowest level since the 1998 Asian financial crisis.
Writer G. Selva, 34, said he has a trip to Jakarta lined up in July. Last weekend, he bought some rupiah in preparation for the trip.
“Initially, we wanted to put off plans till later this year, but when we saw the currency dip, we knew it was time to go ahead with our travel plans.
“We will be spending about four days in Jakarta. Since the conversion rate is currently quite affordable, we hope to have a budget-friendly trip there without breaking the bank,” said Selva who will visit the Indonesian capital with his family.
A finance executive, who wanted to be known only as Ismail, said he intends to take a trip from Jakarta to Bandung, using the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, known there as Whoosh.
It cuts the travel time between Jakarta and Bandung from three hours to just 40 minutes.
“My friends and I were previously looking at travelling domestically sometime in June, but the weakening rupiah led to us consider Indonesia instead.
“It will be our first time travelling abroad together and get to experience life as a millionaire,” he quipped.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Nigel Wong said there was a 12% increase in demand for Indonesian destinations during the recent MATTA fair.
“People are also buying ahead for trips in the next six months,” he said, adding that the rupiah may have been a factor.
However, he also emphasised that Malaysia has its own unique domestic attractions which meant that there was no need to “counter” the lure of Indonesia now.
“Unlike travelling to Indonesia, domestic travel is easily accessible,” he said.
According to the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of Malaysian tourists to Indonesia increased by 24.22%, reaching 2.27 million visitors last year.
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