Strengthening National GDP, Creative Economy Generates IDR 24.46 Trillion During the Christmas and New Year Holidays

Jakarta, 9 January 2026 – The momentum of the Christmas and New Year (Nataru) 2025/2026 holidays has proven to have a significant impact on the performance of the creative economy sector. The Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency recorded that the direct contribution of the creative economy to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the Nataru period reached IDR 24.46 trillion, out of a total additional national GDP of IDR 48.56 trillion.

Figures processed by the Directorate of Strategic Studies and Management of the Ministry of Creative Economy underscore the role of the creative economy as a driver of consumption and economic activity during peak holiday periods. Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya emphasized that the Nataru impact is not merely temporary, but rather reflects strategic potential that can be managed sustainably.

“These data show that the creative economy is not only boosted by long-holiday momentum, but is also capable of becoming the backbone of economic circulation if designed as an integrated annual strategy,” said Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya on Friday, 9 January 2026.

Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency

A study by the Ministry of Creative Economy indicates a shift in consumer behavior increasingly oriented toward creative products, such as local culinary offerings, fashion, crafts, as well as entertainment and arts experiences. This shift strengthens the position of creative economy subsectors as major contributors to public spending during holiday periods, while simultaneously opening opportunities for local brands to expand markets across regions.

Based on consumer digital footprints from Google Trends, interest in culinary content rose sharply on 28 December 2025, while searches related to hotels surged again on 31 December 2025 at the peak of celebrations. On 25–26 December 2025, interest in family entertainment, including cinemas, reached its highest point. These patterns indicate that creative economy consumption follows holiday rhythms and can be mapped to support distribution planning and promotion of creative products.

Business performance survey results also reflect positive impacts on creative economy actors. As many as 76.93 percent of respondents reported increased sales, while 73.08 percent recorded higher profits during the Nataru period. The majority of respondents operate at the micro scale, with the culinary, fashion, and craft subsectors contributing the most to transaction surges.

From the tourism spending perspective, the largest expenditures were still allocated to transportation and accommodation. However, spending on creative products such as food, souvenirs, and retail shopping averaged IDR 858 thousand per person. This figure demonstrates that creative economy products have substantial room to be further strengthened within the tourism consumption chain and public holiday activities.

The largest direct contribution to creative economy GDP during the Nataru period came from the culinary subsector at IDR 19.9 trillion, followed by fashion at IDR 3.9 trillion, and crafts at IDR 0.24 trillion. These data highlight the importance of strengthening supply chains, production capacity, and access to financing so that creative economy actors can optimally respond to spikes in demand.

Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency

“If momentum such as Nataru is managed systematically through Creative Economy Markets (Pasar Ekraf) and ecosystem integration, the impact will not only drive GDP growth, but also sustainably strengthen the competitiveness of local brands,” concluded Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya.

Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Acting Head of the Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency