Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Chair of the Indonesian Retailers and Mall Lessee Association (Hippindo), Budihardjo Iduansjah, has requested the Ministry of Tourism to promote the value-added tax refund for foreign tourists to increase their arrival.
"By creating posters that say 'Come to Indonesia, get an 11 percent discount,' people will be immediately delighted," said Budiharjo in Jakarta on Friday, November 21, 2025.
He hopes that promoting the tax refund program will trigger an influx of foreign tourists. To attract foreign tourists, Budi also supports the government in reducing airfares ahead of the upcoming Christmas and New Year's Eve. According to Budi, the likelihood of foreign tourists shopping in Indonesia will increase if transportation costs are reduced.
Budi hopes that foreign tourists visiting Indonesia will take advantage of the 2025 Indonesia Great Sale shopping festival. He plans to attract foreign tourists by providing promotional materials in English. "We will also have an English song for later. We will make sure that tourists from abroad know that there is a simultaneous great sale in Indonesia," he said.
Budi explained that hundreds of shopping malls and retailers will participate in the shopping festival held from December 18, 2025, to January 4, 2026. Budi said that shopping malls and retailers will offer discounts of up to 80 percent on purchases.
Thus, Budi said, foreign tourists participating in the 2025 Indonesia Great Sale will have the opportunity to get discounts of up to 80 percent. He stated that foreign tourists will receive an 11 percent discount through the tax refund mechanism.
He hopes that this moment can shape the perception of foreign tourists that Indonesia offers shopping deals in the form of promotional discounts. "We hope that this can be driven by promotion. It represents a picture that when you come to Indonesia, the discounts are huge. In addition to promotional discounts, there are tax discounts," said Budi.
Budi targets the transaction of the Indonesia Great Sale 2025 to reach Rp30 trillion. According to him, the transaction target is up by about 5-10 percent compared to last year.