Why are there no great coastal cities in Indonesia?

Indonesia comprises over 17,000 islands and has a population of over 280 million people. With so many islands and so many people, why are there no great coastal cities that are famous destinations? Why do so many tourists only go to Bali and nowhere else in Indonesia? These are questions I will cover in two separate posts.

Indonesia is great for beach and island life, not so much for coastal city life

Indonesia has over 900 permanently inhabited islands. Many of these islands are small islands with towns and villages, but where are the great coastal cities on the larger islands with millions of people?

Google “best coastal cities in Indonesia” and you will get plenty of articles about islands and beaches, but no list of cities. Even the most clickbaity travel site filled with AI slop hasn’t been able to hallucinate a listicle of the top 10 beach cities in Indonesia.

Indonesia has some of the best beaches in Southeast Asia, and you could spend a lifetime exploring its beaches and islands.

Most tourists don’t visit Indonesia for city life, and getting to these beaches and islands is hard work. Transport infrastructure is one reason why Indonesian cities have not developed as quickly as their regional peers, and transport infrastructure is why tourists rarely venture beyond Bali.

For example, I went to Bira Beach in South Sulawesi. It doesn’t look far from Makassar on the map, but it’s a 5-hour journey on a small road. It’s an adventure that is typical of travel in Indonesia, but this isn’t going to be the next Bali anytime soon.

A look at Vietnam’s coastal cities

This lack of great coastal cities is something I think about when I see lists like the best beachside cities for expat life. These articles are subjective, but I always check to keep my finger on the pulse of popular opinion. In this case, the writer elected Valencia (Spain), Mazatlán (Mexico), and Da Nang (Vietnam).

Da Nang is a city that was never on any list a decade ago. Now it is one of the most searched destinations online. Is there a city in Indonesia that can replicate such a meteoric rise?

A more instructive list is this list from Agoda of the⁠ top 10 searched beach destinations in Asia for 2024.

Unsurprisingly, Bali is on top of the list. Even more unsurprisingly, there are no other Indonesian destinations on the list. Even the Philippines (the other Maritime Southeast Asia laggard) managed to get two listings in the top 10. (I will cover the cities of the Philippines in another article.)

Another thing that didn’t surprise me about this list is that it featured Da Nang and Nha Trang. I was in Da Nang and Nha Trang this year, and both cities are having a tourism boom. I wrote a comparison of these ⁠two great beach cities of Vietnam after my visit.

My trip to Da Nang and Nha Trang was part of a research trip to the cities of the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. I also visited Quy Nhon (an underrated beach city), ⁠Phan Thiet (a coastal resort area with no airport, yet it is swarming with international tourists), and Vung Tau (a beach destination near Ho Chi Minh City).

Vung Tau is the oil and gas hub of Vietnam, and it’s also a ⁠tourism destination for weekenders from Ho Chi Minh City (and as of July 2025, Vung Tau will become part of HCMC as part of a nationwide merger of provinces and cities).

Vung Tau has beaches, though the water around Vung Tau can be oleaginous. My high Australian standards prefer the beaches of Indonesia.

International visitors rarely go to Vung Tau because there are better beaches elsewhere in Vietnam. What is great about Vung Tau is that it’s a pleasant and orderly city with nice sea views. It is one of the richest cities in Vietnam, partly due to being an oil and port city. The city has invested in making pleasant beach promenades and greenery in the city.

Coastal cities of Indonesia

After visiting these cities in Vietnam, I was thinking about the coastal cities in Indonesia that I have visited. Why isn’t there a Da Nang or Nha Trang success story in Indonesia? Why aren’t the oil cities in Indonesia as pleasant as Vung Tau?

One of the factors that makes Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Vung Tau great is that they have embraced the seafront with long coastal promenades and unimpeded views. The problem with Indonesian coastal cities is that the cities are cut off from the coast. Surabaya is a classic example.

Surabaya is a great city, and it’s a coastal city, but it’s not a great coastal city. Surabaya has an interesting old town area that would be more famous if it were renovated and promoted. When you are in Surabaya, you don’t have the impression that you are in a port city.

A look at the satellite view on Google Maps gives you an idea of how disconnected the coast is from the city.

Semarang in Central Java is the ninth-largest city in Indonesia and one of the largest coastal cities. It has some historic buildings that make it worth a visit, though, like Jakarta, the coast is sinking.

Semarang has some reclaimed land along the coast, which includes a conference centre and a new urban area. None of it has been designed to be a contiguous public space that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Makassar is one of the big cities where the central business district is on the seafront. Unfortunately, the seafront is blocked by private buildings on many sections, and it doesn’t have a continuous promenade.

The city has also embarked on a land reclamation project, which I visited in 2024. I will write more about Makassar in the next article.

Padang is the most coastal city among the cities of Sumatra, and it has the best chance of making a pleasant seafront.

Building better cities in Indonesia

I enjoy travelling around Indonesia, and this article isn’t meant to beat up on any particular city. Questions need to be asked, though, if Indonesia wants to broaden the appeal of destinations beyond Bali. And ultimately, it’s about making pleasant cities for Indonesians to live in.

The lack of destination diversity is a problem that Indonesia is aware of, which is why the government has come up with the 10 New Balis plan.

The 10 New Balis is a flawed plan, and I think that a better plan is to fix the cities first.

My next article is about building better cities in Indonesia. Subscribe to get updates on future articles.