Most Tourists in Labuan Bajo Choose Live-On-Board Experience

April 30, 2025 | 12:04 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The high number of tourists in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, does not match increasing hotel occupancy in the area. The tourists prefer to stay on boats and engage in various activities there.

This was revealed by Frans Teguh, the Acting Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority (BPOLBF). He stated that more than 80 percent of tourists live on board, whether it is a traditional pinisi ship or a modern safari ship.

"So, there are packages offered by operators in Labuan Bajo, where they spend more time living on board," said Frans on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Tourist boats in Labuan Bajo generally 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. Various tourist activities are usually included in this trip, such as snorkeling, trekking, enjoying the sunset, and seeing bats on Kalong Island.

Frans encouraged travel agents in Labuan Bajo to sell tour packages in Labuan Bajo and several areas of Flores Island, NTT. "So, touring is not only done by sea but also by land. We have prepared a travel itinerary, and we also encourage new destinations in Flores, especially in Manggarai to Alor, to be well managed, so it is more comfortable for tourists to visit," he said.

Direct Flights

Frans noted that Labuan Bajo's tourism sector is growing positively due to the high interest of tourists in visiting several tourist destinations. This is supported by direct international flights, making it easier for foreign tourists to visit.

However, he admitted that during the last Eid holiday, there was a decrease in tourist visits compared to the previous year. In 2025, the number of tourists recorded was around 49,634 until April 2025, but last year there were 50,000 tourists. "So, there is a shift or it can be said that there is a one percent gap, but the point we want to convey is that the trend is still relatively good," he said.

Frans is optimistic that the number of tourist visits can be increased by 2025, especially with direct international flights from Malaysia and Singapore to Labuan Bajo, bringing many tourists from different countries.

"This market composition is usually divided based on the country of origin, there are still five top rmakets which are China, Indonesia, USA, France, and Switzerland, and there are still conventional markets like Europe and America declining, but they are quite stable in visiting destinations in Labuan Bajo Flores," said Frans Teguh.

Antara contributed to the writing of this article.

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