People making homebound journeys in 2023 are expected to rise by 14.2 percent year on year (yoy) to 123.8 million from last year’s 85.5 million, Transportation Ministry data show.

Almost 75 percent of the journeys will take place between provinces in Java Island with the peak of the homebound travel expected to happen one day before Idul Fitri on April 21, the ministry says.

The ministry attributes the projected increase to eased COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, as the country is in the process of transitioning back to normal. Moreover, the improved economic conditions in 2023 will also play a role in raising the number of homebound journeys this year.

“We can understand that in 2022 there was still the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore the number of Indonesians returning to their hometowns was less than we will see in 2023,” Djoko Setijowarno, lecturer at Soegijapranata Catholic University told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

All modes of transportation are poised to see increases in use this year, but trains are projected to see the largest increase by over 76 percent yoy to 14.47 million this year, followed by private vehicles with a 31 percent yoy increase, according to Transportation Ministry survey data.