Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country - is expected to see a huge wave of people moving from cities to their homeland (also known as Mudik) during the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said that the mass movement is forecasted to reach 123.8 million people during the Eid Al Fitr 2023, an increase of 14.2% compared to 85.5 million people in the same period last year.
The minister emphasised that the Ministry of Transport and related parties will prepare initial steps in terms of infrastructure and other policies to ensure safety for commuters.
The majority of people moving from the city to their hometown during Eid al-Fitr 2023 will be on Java island with about 77.3 million people. East Java province is expected to see 21.2 million people (17.1%) moving, Central Java province 18.7 million (15.1%), Greater Jakarta region 18.3 million ( 14.8%), West Java province 14.9 million 1 (2.1%) and North Sumatra province 4.4 million (3.6%).
The wave of traveling is forecasted to increase from April 19 and peak on April 21, while the exodus of people returning to cities will peak on April 25.
In 2022, Indonesians were allowed to return home for the Eid al-Fitr holiday after being restricted for two years due to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The government had to mobilise more than 160,000 police officers to ensure security during this holiday last year./.
