KAMPANYE WONDERFUL INDONESIA SEBAGAI STRATEGI DIPLOMASI PUBLIK DIGITAL INDONESIA DI AUSTRALIA PASCA PANDEMI COVID-19

Authors

  • Rafi Althaf Naufal Universitas Budi Luhur
  • Elistania Elistania Universitas Budi Luhur

Keywords:

citra destinasi, diplomasi publik digital, nation branding, wonderful Indonesia, soft power

Abstract

This study examines the role of the Wonderful Indonesia campaign as a digital public diplomacy strategy for building Indonesia's positive image in Australia during the 2022-2024 post-COVID-19 recovery. It combines constructivism, soft power, nation branding, and destination-image perspectives to explain how digital representations produce meaning. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, the study conducts content analysis of selected Instagram and YouTube posts and the official Wonderful Indonesia website, triangulated with government documents, tourism statistics, and academic literature. The findings show that open-nature imagery and narratives of relaxation, safety, and destination readiness consistently frame Indonesia as a calm, welcoming, and relevant destination for Australian travellers. Nevertheless, communication remains predominantly one-way, insufficiently localized, and unsupported by direct measurement of audience attitude change. Therefore, the campaign operates more convincingly as an instrument of image projection than as a mechanism for sustained dialogic relationship-building.

References

Anholt, S. (2007). Competitive identity: The new brand management for nations, cities and regions. London, England: Palgrave Macmillan.

Badan Pusat Statistik. (2021). Statistik kunjungan wisatawan mancanegara 2015-2020. Jakarta, Indonesia: BPS RI.

Bjola, C., Cassidy, J., & Manor, I. (2019). Public diplomacy in the digital age. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 14(1-2), 83-101.

Cheung, M. L., Ting, H., Cheah, J.-H., & Sharipudin, M.-N. S. (2021). Examining the role of social media-based destination brand community in evoking tourists' emotions and intention to co-create and visit. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 30(1), 28-43.

Cull, N. J. (2008). Public diplomacy: Taxonomies and histories. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 31-54.

Dinnie, K. (2016). Nation branding: Concepts, issues, practice (2nd ed.). London, England: Routledge.

Duncombe, C. (2019). Digital diplomacy: Emotion and identity in the public realm. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 14(1-2), 102-116.

Echtner, C. M., & Ritchie, J. R. B. (2003). The meaning and measurement of destination image. The Journal of Tourism Studies, 14(1), 37-48.

Fahrizal, M., Sundari, R., Ash Shiddiqi, M. A., & Rani, F. (2022). The strategy of the Indonesian government in implementing the Wonderful Indonesia digital diplomacy program. KEMUDI: Jurnal Ilmu Pemerintahan, 7(1), 47-65. https://doi.org/10.31629/kemudi.v7i1.4814

Gilboa, E. (2008). Searching for a theory of public diplomacy. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 55-77.

Instagram @wonderfulindonesia. (2022-2024). Selected posts dated July 15, 2022; March 3, 2023; and May 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2026, from https://www.instagram.com/wonderfulindonesia/

Kementerian Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif Republik Indonesia. (2019). Tourism market profile: Australia. Jakarta, Indonesia: Kemenparekraf.

Nye, J. S., Jr. (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. New York, NY: PublicAffairs.

Pachucki, C., Grohs, R., & Scholl-Grissemann, U. (2022). Is nothing like before? COVID-19-evoked changes to tourism destination social media communication. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 23, 100692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100692

Pamment, J. (2014). Articulating influence: Toward a research agenda for interpreting the evaluation of soft power, public diplomacy and nation brands. Public Relations Review, 40(1), 50-59.

Rasoolimanesh, S. M., Seyfi, S., Rastegar, R., & Hall, C. M. (2021). Destination image during the COVID-19 pandemic and future travel behavior: The moderating role of past experience. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 21, 100620.

Sevin, E., Metzgar, E. T., & Hayden, C. (2018). The scholarship of public diplomacy: Analysis of a growing field. International Journal of Communication, 12, 3695-3715.

Simanjuntak, T. R., Sudarmawan, B. N., & Susila, I. (2019). Efektivitas nation branding Wonderful Indonesia sebagai sebuah strategi dalam hubungan diplomasi pemerintah Indonesia tahun 2011-2018. Cakrawala Jurnal Penelitian Sosial, 8(1), 29-59.

Wendt, A. (1999). Social theory of international politics. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Wonderful Indonesia. (2022-2024). Official tourism website. Retrieved January 12, 2026, from https://www.indonesia.travel/

YouTube Wonderful Indonesia. (2023, August 20). Selected tourism storytelling video. Retrieved January 12, 2026, from https://www.youtube.com/@wonderfulindonesia

Yulliana, E. A., Pitoyo, & Priyanto, A. (2021). Diplomasi budaya melalui nation branding Wonderful Indonesia dalam meningkatkan pariwisata Indonesia di masa pandemi COVID-19. Global & Policy, 9(2), 30-40.

Zenker, S., & Kock, F. (2020). The coronavirus pandemic: A critical discussion of a tourism research agenda. Tourism Management, 81, 104164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104164.

.

Published

06-06-2026

How to Cite

Naufal, R. A., & Elistania, E. (2026). KAMPANYE WONDERFUL INDONESIA SEBAGAI STRATEGI DIPLOMASI PUBLIK DIGITAL INDONESIA DI AUSTRALIA PASCA PANDEMI COVID-19. Balcony, 10(1), 61–76. Retrieved from https://jom.fisip.budiluhur.ac.id/balcony/article/view/1040