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THE HIGH number of tourist visits to Labuan Baju, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is not accompanied by an increase in hotel room occupancy in the surrounding area. The reason is that tourists who visit the area prefer to stay on tourist boats and do various activities there.
This was revealed by the Acting President Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority Implementing Agency (BPOLBF), Frans Teguh, who said that more than 80% of tourist movements mainly use live on board or tourist trips that allow tourists to stay on board during the holidays, whether it is a traditional phinisi ship or a modern safari ship.
“So, there are packages offered by operators in Labuan Bajo where they spend more time live on board. Tourist ships in Labuan Bajo usually offer trips to several points in the Komodo National Park area and its surroundings, such as Padar Island, Kelor Island, Komodo Island and Rinca Island. This trip usually includes several tourist activities such as snorkeling, trekking, sunset viewing and bat watching on Kalong Island,” Frans said recently.
Frans encouraged Labuan Bajo travel agents to sell tour packages in Labuan Bajo and several areas of Flores Island, NTT. So, the tour is not only around the sea, but also on land. We have done it with a tourism map, and we also encourage new destinations in Flores, especially in Manggarai to Alor, to be well managed so that they are more comfortable for tourists to visit.
Direct flights
Frans said that the tourism sector in Labuan Bajo is expected to grow positively in early 2025, as the interest of tourists to visit a number of tourist destinations in Labuan Bajo is considered quite high. This is supported by the direct international flights that make it easier for foreign tourists to visit.
However, he admitted that during the last Eid holidays, there was a decrease in tourist visits compared to the same period last year. In 2025, the number of tourists who came was recorded at around 49,634 tourists until April 2025, but in 2024 there were 50 thousand tourists.
“So there is a shift or it can be said that there is a gap of one percent, but the point we want to convey is that the trend is still relatively good,” he affirmed.
Frans is optimistic that the level of tourist visits can increase in 2025, especially with the presence of direct international flights from Malaysia and Singapore to Labuan Bajo, which bring a number of tourists from different countries to travel to Labuan Bajo.
“We usually divide this composition or market based on country of origin, there are still five of our top markets namely China, Indonesia, USA, France and Switzerland and indeed there are still conventional markets such as Europe or America that are declining but are quite stable in visiting destinations in Labuan Bajo Flores,” concluded Frans Teguh. [antaranews/photo special]
