Why spectacular beaches remain out of reach for most travelers — and what Thailand can learn
Crystal-clear lagoons stretch toward dramatic limestone cliffs at Ora Beach on Seram Island, creating postcard-perfect scenes that rival the Maldives at a fraction of the cost. Yet this Indonesian paradise, like countless similar destinations across the archipelago, remains largely unknown to international travelers due to a fundamental challenge: getting there requires multiple time-consuming transfers that can transform a relaxing beach holiday into a logistical marathon.
This connectivity gap reveals broader issues affecting Indonesia’s tourism development and offers valuable insights for Thailand as both countries compete for regional travelers seeking affordable luxury experiences. The transportation barriers keeping Indonesia’s hidden gems isolated also demonstrate how infrastructure investment shapes tourism patterns across Southeast Asia.
The Indonesian Archipelago’s Untapped Potential
17,000 Islands, Limited Access Indonesia’s sprawling archipelago contains over 17,000 islands, many featuring pristine beaches, thriving coral reefs, and traditional villages that could attract international visitors at costs significantly below Maldivian resorts. This potential matters not only to budget-conscious travelers but also to local economies across Indonesia’s many provinces, which have experienced steady visitor growth since the pandemic but remain heavily dependent on limited tourism infrastructure.
However, analysis from Bloomberg and government planning documents reveals a clear pattern: while airline connectivity and infrastructure development have lagged in remote areas, political attention and marketing resources remain concentrated on Bali and a handful of “super-priority” destinations. This strategic focus leaves spectacular locations like Seram Island largely inaccessible to mainstream tourism markets.
For Thai travelers and tourism planners, this situation offers both cautionary lessons and opportunities. Thailand’s relatively compact geography and well-developed transportation networks provide natural advantages over Indonesia’s scattered island tourism model, yet both countries compete for the same regional markets seeking affordable tropical experiences.
The Transportation Challenge: Multiple Transfers, Extended Journey Times
A Case Study in Connectivity Barriers Reaching destinations like Ora Beach on Seram Island illustrates the practical barriers keeping Indonesia’s most beautiful locations isolated from mainstream tourism. The journey requires flying to Ambon’s Pattimura Airport, transferring by land to ferry terminals, crossing to Seram via two-hour boat services, and taking additional local transport to reach remote beaches and villages.
This multi-modal transportation sequence can extend what should be a short holiday into full days of travel, significantly increasing both time costs and monetary expenses for visitors who value convenience alongside affordability. Travel operators and independent guides consistently identify these logistical complexities — compounded by infrequent scheduling — as the primary deterrent preventing mass-market tourism development.
The Numbers Tell the Story: Gateway Concentration vs. Hidden Gems
Tourism Growth Concentrated at Main Entry Points Indonesia’s overall tourism recovery shows impressive growth, with Statistics Indonesia reporting steady monthly increases reaching 1.42 million foreign arrivals in June 2025. However, these figures reveal a crucial disparity: markets anchored by frequent direct flights, particularly Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, continue capturing disproportionate visitor shares while remote destinations struggle for recognition.
Government officials acknowledge that increased flight frequencies to Bali have driven arrival figures upward, even as spending per visit remains variable. Meanwhile, tourism operators in less-connected regions express frustration that without improved air links, reliable sea transport, and targeted infrastructure investment, their areas will remain niche alternatives rather than mainstream destinations capable of competing with established beach resorts.
Why This Matters to Thai Travelers and Regional Tourism
Market Implications for Southeast Asian Tourism This Indonesian connectivity challenge matters significantly to Thai travelers and regional tourism patterns for two key reasons. First, many Thai families and couples actively seek new, affordable island holiday alternatives beyond traditional Thai hotspots, and Indonesian destinations offering Maldives-style lagoons at budget prices would be particularly attractive to price-conscious travelers looking for novel experiences.
Second, Bali’s concentration of flights and visitors has created well-documented problems including traffic congestion, noise pollution, and visible plastic waste in urban and tourist areas. These issues push some regional travelers to seek quieter, more “authentic” island experiences, creating market opportunities for alternative destinations that can solve the accessibility challenge.
Indonesian government policy choices therefore directly influence where regional visitors end up traveling, and whether destinations outside Bali can scale sustainably without replicating the environmental and social problems that have emerged in over-developed areas.
Government Strategy: The “Super-Priority” Focus and Its Consequences
From “10 New Balis” to Concentrated Investment Indonesian government strategy helps explain why spectacular destinations remain inaccessible to mainstream tourists. Since the original “10 New Balis” concept of 2016 was reconfigured during the pandemic, Jakarta has concentrated resources on a reduced list of priority destinations — reorganized into approximately five “super-priority” sites designed to drive quality tourism and major events.
This strategic focus channels budgetary allocations, marketing campaigns, and aviation support to destinations deemed ready for large-scale development. While this approach makes sense from a resource allocation perspective, it leaves smaller islands and lesser-known provincial gems with minimal direct support for airport upgrades, regular ferry services, and essential tourism infrastructure.
Local tourism operators express frustration at being left to lobby independently for private investment or piece together transportation links with limited financial returns, creating a cycle where the most spectacular destinations remain the least accessible.
Infrastructure Gaps: Beyond Transportation
The Missing Foundation for Tourism Growth Tourism operators and local stakeholders across remote Indonesian islands describe urgent needs that extend beyond transportation: reliable electricity, proper waste management systems, improved port facilities, and more frequent scheduled flights. Their requests include specific policy interventions such as incentives for low-cost carriers to serve secondary airports, subsidies for seasonal routes, and capital funding for environmentally sensitive lodge development.
Industry analysis consistently identifies transport connectivity — rather than lack of scenic beauty or tourism potential — as the principal bottleneck preventing destinations like Seram from reaching broader international markets. This infrastructure gap creates a fundamental competitive disadvantage compared to more accessible regional alternatives like Thailand’s island destinations.
The Development Dilemma: Growth vs. Sustainability
Balancing Access with Environmental Protection Tourism experts and government officials recognize both opportunities and risks in expanding access to Indonesia’s hidden islands. Statistics officials note that while arrival numbers continue rising, per-visit spending has declined, suggesting policy should balance attracting higher visitor volumes with creating higher-value, longer-stay experiences that distribute tourists more evenly across the archipelago.
Tourism planners warn that rapid connectivity improvements without accompanying environmental safeguards risk replicating Bali’s problems of traffic congestion, waste accumulation, and erosion of traditional culture. They recommend sustainable, community-led development combined with careful route planning as strategies to expand access while preserving the pristine qualities that make remote islands attractive to travelers seeking authentic experiences.
Practical Advice for Thai Travelers
Managing Expectations and Planning Strategies Thai tourists considering Maldives-style trips to Indonesian hidden islands should prepare for significantly different logistics compared to Thailand’s accessible beach destinations. Expect extended transfer times, limited direct flight schedules, and the necessity of booking coordinated packages that bundle flights, ferries, and local transportation to avoid missed connections and scheduling conflicts.
While low-cost accommodation options exist, they typically require flexible timing and tolerance for basic facilities during transit periods. Tour operators specializing in eastern Indonesian destinations have developed integrated packages that simplify complex logistics by bundling transportation and island accommodations. These comprehensive packages currently represent the most reliable approach for reaching remote beaches like Ora Beach without losing entire days to transportation connections.
Cultural Considerations: Respecting Local Communities
Beyond Bali: Understanding Traditional Sensitivities Cultural context plays a crucial role in understanding both tourism demand and local community responses across Indonesia’s diverse regions. Bali’s experience demonstrates how quickly spiritual customs, temple life, and village routines can be overshadowed when tourism scales rapidly without appropriate regulation or community consultation.
Indonesian communities outside Bali often maintain stronger connections to traditional livelihoods and local religious practices that may not always welcome mass tourism development. For Thai travelers who typically prize respectful, family-friendly travel experiences, small-group eco-tourism models, community benefit-sharing arrangements, and genuine respect for local customs align well with broader Southeast Asian cultural values emphasizing family reputation, environmental stewardship, and community harmony.
The Path Forward: Infrastructure and Policy Solutions
Unlocking Indonesia’s Tourism Potential The most promising path to making Indonesian paradise islands accessible to mainstream travelers involves coordinated infrastructure upgrades and strategic policy interventions. Upgrading regional airports with longer runways and improved terminal facilities, funding reliable ferry routes, incentivizing airlines to add seasonal direct flights, and promoting integrated tourism packages could significantly reduce the “getting there” cost in both time and money.
Equally crucial is simultaneous investment in waste management systems, reliable water supplies, and community-run hospitality services to prevent environmental degradation as visitor numbers increase. Without attention to these operational and sustainability foundations, many of Indonesia’s hidden paradises will remain accessible only to determined adventure travelers rather than becoming viable alternatives for mainstream tropical holidays.
Strategic Recommendations for Thai Travelers
Immediate Practical Steps Thai holidaymakers and travel planners can take several steps to successfully navigate Indonesian island tourism despite current limitations. First, plan for significantly longer door-to-door travel times and factor in overnight stays when island connections operate on infrequent schedules. Second, choose reputable local operators that bundle all transfers in single bookings to minimize missed connection risks.
Third, prioritize accommodations and tour operators that demonstrate sustainable practices through community partnerships, waste reduction initiatives, and active reef-protection programs. Finally, consider shoulder-season travel when flight and ferry schedules may be more accommodating and local communities can better manage visitor arrivals without overwhelming their infrastructure or cultural practices.
The Tourism Trade-off: Adventure vs. Accessibility
Current Reality for Budget-Conscious Travelers Indonesia’s hidden islands genuinely offer price and experience alternatives to expensive Maldivian resorts, but this value proposition comes with an important caveat: most savings derive from lower on-island costs rather than convenient transportation. The spectacular beaches, clear waters, and authentic cultural experiences are available at budget prices, but accessing them requires significant time investment and logistical planning.
For Thai travelers seeking quiet blue lagoons and pristine white sand beaches without Maldives-level expenses, the current choice is clear: embrace the complex journey as part of the adventure experience, or wait for infrastructure investments and policy changes to improve accessibility. As regional competition for tourism markets intensifies, the destinations that solve connectivity challenges while maintaining environmental integrity will likely capture the largest shares of Southeast Asia’s growing travel market.