Famed for Komodo dragons, Labuan Bajo rises as holiday hot spot, but overtourism remains a risk
LABUAN BAJO: A small seaside town known as the gateway to the land of the dragons – specifically the Komodo kind – has roared to life over the past decade, after it was first positioned as one of Indonesia's '10 New Balis' in a 2016 tourism push by the government.
Located at the western tip of Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara, Labuan Bajo is most famous for being the stepping stone to the famed Komodo National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site that is the largest habitat of its namesake reptile, the Komodo dragon.
But amid the buzz of a busy airport runway and waters studded with hotel boats and modern vessels, experts warn that it must avoid falling into overtourism, overdevelopment and environmental negligence – issues that affect tourist hot spot Bali.
The '10 New Balis' strategy targets specific locations such as Labuan Bajo to receive funding for infrastructure development. The aims are to alleviate overtourism in Bali and spread tourist revenue and boost regional economies within South-east Asia's most populous country.
Other locations include Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Mandalika in Lombok and Likupang in North Sulawesi.
The focus on these new areas has led to significant changes, such as the construction of an international motorcycle racing track in Mandalika that has hosted the FIM Superbike World Championship since 2021 and MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle races since 2022.
But Labuan Bajo, which is a three-hour flight from Singapore and 2½ hours from Jakarta, stands out as it booked the largest incremental gains in terms of foreign tourist visits.
Its main attraction, the Komodo National Park, welcomed 334,206 visitors in 2024, two-thirds of whom were foreign tourists. In 2016, it saw about 100,000 visitors. Almost all tourists going to Labuan Bajo visit the Komodo National Park.
In the past decade, Labuan Bajo has seen the rise of new roads and amenities such as shopping centres, brand-name hotels and food courts, all built by the national government. Its main marina and airport have also been refurbished and revamped in the past four years, with the latter's runway being extended by 100m.
Hotel operator Marriott International has built a luxury resort there and will soon be joined by another by the InterContinental Hotels Group.
In 2024, Labuan Bajo's Komodo Airport was declared an international airport, allowing the operation of direct flights to and from foreign cities. Previously, most overseas visitors would have to fly through Jakarta to get to Labuan Bajo, which is part of the West Manggarai Regency.
The national focus on developing the small fishing village has propelled Labuan Bajo on a rapid phase of development, Stefanus Jemsifori, the most senior bureaucrat overseeing tourism affairs in the regency, told The Straits Times.
'Investment growth has since been growing tremendously fast, evidenced by the spawning of five-star hotels and 'pinisi' vessels offering luxury rooms on board,' he said, adding that tourism revenue has also contributed to economic growth. A pinisi vessel is a traditional Indonesian watercraft that typically carries seven to eight sails on two masts.
According to visitor surveys in 2024, an individual foreign tourist to the town spends an average of 8 million rupiah (S$632) daily, staying an average of four to five days, while a domestic tourist spends about 2.7 million rupiah daily, spending an average of three days there.
During a visit to Labuan Bajo in early May, ST spoke to several Chinese and Singaporean tourists there.
'We get both the exercise and breathtaking scenery,' said a Singaporean man named Wilson, in his early 20s. He spoke to ST during a short visit to Labuan Bajo with his family, which included a hiking trip.
Shana Fatina, who runs a tour agency in Labuan Bajo, said the town has become popular with foreign tourists in the region.
'Singaporean tourists like to take a weekend getaway trip, staying in resorts or sailing vessels. They like shopping and enjoying food here,' said Shana, who noted that many foreign tourists in Labuan Bajo also travel there through Singapore.
While Labuan Bajo has benefited from a push to increase tourist footfall in the past decade, Professor Azril Azhari, a tourism expert from the Trisakti University in Jakarta, said that going forward there must be less emphasis on mass tourism.
This is especially because the trend and behaviours for global travellers have now shifted towards ecotourism.
Prof Azril said that the '10 New Balis' strategy was developed some time ago, based on mass tourism models and a thorough evaluation of the programme has not been done. Although these models typically draw tourists and investment, there are instances where local communities do not reap these benefits.
Bali, often regarded as Indonesia's crown jewel of tourism, saw 6.33 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2024, an increase from 5.27 million in 2023. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, it had 6.28 million visitors in 2019.
Although Bali frequently ranks as a top holiday destination, the problems of overtourism have become more apparent in recent times.
Large amounts of Bali's groundwater are channelled to hotels, pools and golf courses, leaving local residents to struggle for access to clean water.
Meanwhile, its iconic padi fields are vanishing as the land is transformed into commercial or residential property.
Prof Azril warned about the risks of Labuan Bajo following in Bali's footsteps, especially when it comes to balancing conservation, development and tourism.
As Komodo National Park and its ancient lizards gain popularity, Prof Azril emphasised the need to manage both visitor numbers and interactions with the reptiles. Failing to do so could lead to stress for these endangered animals.
Shana said that perhaps a no-visitor season should be implemented annually to reduce overtourism.
'Good communications with the tour operators to carry out such an endeavour must be done because many sell trip packages a year ahead,' she said.
The national government had earlier planned to limit the number of visitors to Komodo National Park to 219,000 a year to conserve the ecosystem and protect the wildlife.
It also planned to raise the price of entrance tickets to the park to 3.75 million rupiah each for international visitors starting on Aug 1, 2022, from as low as 250,000 rupiah now. But the plan did not proceed due to opposition by the local residents and tourism businesses, arguing that the move would reduce their income.
Labuan Bajo's natural landscapes and waters rich with marine life are precisely what will keep tourists returning.
Chinese tourist Yang Guang Li, 25, said that his final stop at Labuan Bajo was the highlight of his seven-day trip through multiple places in Indonesia, as he had the chance to encounter a reef manta ray during a diving tour.
'I was most satisfied with my Komodo National Park trip. Unfortunately, we were only brought here for one night. I still want to go back to Komodo (Labuan Bajo),' said Yang. - The Straits Times/ANN
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