This year's Lunar New Year holiday is seeing an increase in travel and traffic volume across Indonesia.

In addition, an uptick in visitors in popular tourist destinations is also being seen as a result of the holiday.

Lunar New Year 2026

According to a report by The Jakarta Globe, an increase in traffic volume on key toll roads in Jakarta was recorded in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year.

An increase in passengers was also seen in rail transport, specifically between February 13 and 16.

Multiple tourist destinations in the country also saw an uptick in visitors due to the Lunar New Year. The Jakarta Globe report specifically notes Bandung as one such destination as it is popular for weekend trips.

Chinese-themed area Pantjoran PIK has also been flooded by both local and international tourists who enjoyed the displays and cultural performances.

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Lunar New Year in Indonesia

Locally known as Imlek, the Lunar New Year celebrations in the country dates back between the fourth and seventh centuries, according to RRI. The tradition continued even during the Dutch colonial period.

It was during the early independence of Indonesia that it was first celebrated as a holiday, but it was eventually limited to private settings only sometime in 1967. Restrictions on Chinese celebrations were finally lifted in 1998.

The Lunar New Year became a national holiday in 2003.

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