Editor’s note:
The interview was conducted while Caesar Indra was still serving as Traveloka president. The company confirmed that he stepped down on Aug 1. The leadership team, led by Founder and CEO Ferry Unardi, will remain focused on driving Traveloka’s growth as the leading travel platform in the Asia-Pacific region.
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on the evolution of online travel and technology.
We ask them to look back on the past and their early days, reflect on the present and why this moment is pivotal for online travel and get them to imagine the future, the next 20.
This special WiT Studio series, “Conversations On Turning 20”, is the collective story of WiT.
As a Chinese saying goes, 以古为鉴，可以知兴替
“By using history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of things.”
Episode 18: Caesar Indra, President, Traveloka
What happens when a bunch of scrappy young Indonesians try to digitize travel in a country where bank transfers were still done manually? You get Traveloka, now one of South-east Asia’s most influential travel platforms.
In this candid and deeply personal interview, Caesar Indra, President of Traveloka, retraces the company’s remarkable 13-year journey from solving offline payments to shaping the future of AI-powered travel in Asia.
Key Takeaways:
- It Started with a Simple Question
“How do we make travel accessible to Indonesians?” What sounds like a basic mission turned out to be deeply complex, especially in a market lacking digital infrastructure. From building their own bank-transfer hardware to manually convincing airlines to come online, Traveloka didn’t just build a platform, it helped build an ecosystem. - Defining Moments That Shaped the Business
- The Early Years: Getting taken seriously as young entrepreneurs in a risk-averse industry.
- COVID’s Wake-Up Call: Pivoting from “grow at all costs” to a disciplined, ROI-driven model.
- The Meta-to-OTA Leap: When customers started calling Traveloka for help even when bookings were made elsewhere, it became clear: full-stack service was the only way forward.
- Why Indonesia Is Still Just Getting Started
Despite its growth, Caesar believes Indonesia’s travel market is far from mature. With most accommodation bookings still offline and travel activities just taking off, “We’ve barely scratched the surface.” Traveloka’s mission is evolving, from making travel accessible toIndonesians, to making Indonesiaaccessible to the world. - Sustainability and the Next Generation of Travelers
With over 40 million monthly active users, Caesar sees Traveloka as a platform for good. He shares how the company plans to promote lesser-known destinations, work with local communities, and surface sustainable travel options, “not just Bali, but beyond.” - AI, Personalisation, and the Future of Travel
Looking ahead, Caesar envisions Traveloka as a personal conciergepowered by AI, anticipating needs, handling disruptions silently in the background, and offering hyper-personalised itineraries. “The winners will be those who make affordable, sustainable options visible.” - From Bengkulu to Building Bridges
Growing up in a small Sumatran town, travel changed Caesar’s life. Now, he wants Traveloka to change the lives of the next generation, by bringing more travellers to lesser-known destinations and creating economic ripple effects for local communities.
