Indonesia to maximize tourist visits during Christmas and New Year holidays

Tourist visits to Indonesia, including Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara province as one of the super priority tourism destinations, will be maximized by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economy Agency during Christmas and New Year holidays.

 

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency will make every effort to increase tourist visits during the Christmas 2022 and New Year 2023 holidays to various destinations in the country including Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara province as one of the super tourism destinations priority.

“We will optimize tourist visits during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Labuan Bajo can become one of the tourism destinations of #DiIndonesiaAja (#JustInIndonesia),” the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, said in a ‘Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno’, on Monday (19/12) in Jakarta.

#DiIndonesiaAja is the Mainstay of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy for Indonesian Tourism.

“We guarantee that there will be no increase in tariffs (entering Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara) and of course we will prioritize safety and comfort for tourists,” Sandiaga said in his official statement on the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy website received here on Wednesday.

With the variety of tourist attractions and creative economy owned by Labuan Bajo as well as the development and arrangement of the village by the government, it is expected that this will further strengthen the interest of tourists visiting these favorite destinations.

In 2022, the arrangement of the area within Labuan Bajo has been completed, with areas open to the public such as the waterfront marina area, the pedestrian area, and iconic buildings that add to the beauty of Labuan Bajo.

The addition of new attractions is also encouraged by holding various national-scale events originating from local ideas. Various promotions are also carried out to brand Labuan Bajo as a MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, and Exhibition) destination.

“We will continue to try to increase tourist visits to Labuan Bajo. With the completion of the construction, we will complement the areas which are open to the public by holding national and international scale events and branding Labuan Bajo as a MICE destination,” Sandiaga said.

“Especially with the cancellation of the increase in the Komodo National Park entrance fee of 3.7 million rupiahs, it will further increase the tourist interest,” he said, adding that even so, conservation efforts to preserve the living natural resources and their ecosystems in Komodo National Park will still be a major concern.

“We really appreciate the provincial administration of East Nusa Tenggara which has officially lifted NTT Governor Regulation number 85 of 2022 and of course this will be reviewed again in relation to conservation, because we want to ensure carrying capacity and maintain long-term sustainability which will be the main priority of tourism policy in Labuan Bajo,” Sandiaga noted.

Sharing the same remarks with Sandiaga, the President Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority, Shana Fatina, explained that tourists’ interest in visiting Labuan Bajo is currently increasing.

“Many potential tourists who initially discouraged visiting, have now confirmed their trips to Labuan Bajo. (Tourist) operator friends also find it easier to get certainty, especially for next year’s trips,” Shana said.

Regarding cooperation with the NTT provincial administration, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry will coordinate it. However specifically, to ensure the carrying capacity in Komodo National Park, there will be two ways to do it.

The first is the application of a queuing system to minimize the accumulation of tourists at destination locations within the Komodo National Park area.

This will be integrated with the harbor master as well as ship operators as the main mode of transportation for mobilizing tourists to destinations in Komodo National Park.

“The second, we know that Labuan Bajo has prepared a new face. Starting from the waterfront, pedestrians, and iconic buildings that can be alternative destinations including places to eat, restaurants which can also be waiting places for tourists. Tourist villages have also been prepared and we have promoted them to become destinations at the end of the year,” she said.

Especially during the Christmas and New Year holidays, a year-end concert in Labuan Bajo will be organized by InJourney (a state-owned enterprise engaged in aviation and tourism) at the waterfront area which is expected to be an event at the end of the year in Labuan Bajo.

“In addition, there are also many offers for year-end activities from each hotel scattered along the West Coast of Flores Island which can also be an option for colleagues when visiting Labuan Bajo to spend the end of the year,” Shana said.

The Head of the Office of Tourism and Creative Economy of East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT), Zeth Sony Libing, expressed his gratitude for various supports and promotions from the government for tourism and the creative economy in NTT, especially Labuan Bajo.

“In 2023, there are two big concepts in developing tourist visits to Indonesia, especially in NTT. We want what we have, God’s grace in NTT, to continue to exist and have beauty forever,” he said.

“And the second is that we want to maintain how the existing natural beauty is always maintained. It means there is conservation, these two big concepts are our guide in building tourism in NTT,” he added.

Reporting by Indonesia