According to the latest data trails of users of metasearch site, Wego Indonesia, Indonesians are making very different choices for their Lebaran holidays (period after Idul Fitri that falls on August 19-21) at home and abroad for this year as compared to 2011.

Searches for Singapore, a popular destination for Indonesians, are up from a quarter of all searches on Wego Indonesia  last year to a third for the holiday period this year.

For Malaysia, Indonesians are also comparing options for Kuala Lumpur (8%) and Genting Highands (3%) of the international total with the country overall accounting for 16%.

Hong Kong’s share of the searches has jumped from 11% to 15%, well ahead of mainland China’s 4% where many searches target are on Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Macau continues to rise at 7% and Japan has recovered to 3%.

Thailand is maintaining its 11%. Bangkok, fully recovered from the flooding, accounts for 5% and Phuket 3%. Krabi and Pattaya are also popular choices.

On the home front the travellers are making different choices in destinations and booking better rooms for the coming Lebaran holidays, as opposed to flight-only bookings in the past. Data shows that 52% of travellers prefer to holiday within the archipelago.

Hotel searches on Wego Indonesia’s site tripled for the period from August 17-26 immediately following Ramadan (Muslim holy month of fasting). Accommodation is booked in more destinations – 165 compared to 69 in the same period in 2011.

Another trend is the choice of hotels, with three out of four Indonesians booking three, four and five star accommodatio, an increase of 71% over 2011.

Bali was the top destination In 2011, with two-thirds of domestic hotel searches using Wego. This year Bandung, with its cooler climate, is the preferred choice (10% of total search), followed by Yogyakarta (9%), and Lombok, Surabaya and historical Malang (2-3%.)

Semarang and Medan, the favourite of foodies and with Lake Toba and Berastagi, are also popular choices.

Wego Indonesia attributed the changing pattern of travel to Indonesians looking for the best options to enjoy a break with their families

Flight searches are similarly diverse. Two-thirds of Wego’s traffic intend to use Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta airport as their departure point during this holiday season, followed by Balikpapan, Batam and Medan

Garuda Indonesia receives the most booking on Wego’s site, followed by Lion Air (20%), AirAsia (16%) and Malaysia Airlines (9%). Tiger Airways, Sriwijaya Air and Batavia Air account for one in five tickets sold during this season.

Graham Hills, Wego Indonesia’s managing director (pictured left), said that with greater access to travel information online, Indonesians are becoming more informed about where they can holiday and how much it will cost.

“They are finding affordable options in better hotel categories. It is encouraging them to take the opportunity to enjoy the comfort and service these properties provide.”