Indonesian Ministry of Tourism Strives to Maximize Tourist Visits During Christmas and New Year Holiday

JAKARTADAILY.ID – The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism 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 as one of the super-priority tourism destinations (DPSP).

"We will optimize tourist visits during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Labuan Bajo can be one of the #DiIndonesiaAja tourism destinations. We guarantee there will be no increase in tariffs (entering Komodo National Park) and of course, we will prioritize safety and comfort for tourists," said Minister of Tourism Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno in a press statement, quoted, Wednesday, December 21, 2022.

As of November, the number of visits by domestic tourists to Labuan Bajo has reached a total of 155,712 tourists. This figure shows a significant increase compared to the previous year.

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

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

The addition of new attractions is also encouraged by holding various national-scale events born from local ideas. Various promotions were also carried out to brand Labuan Bajo as a MICE destination.

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"We will continue to try to increase tourist visits to Labuan Bajo. We hope that the construction that has been completed, the area open to the public, will be complemented by holding national and international scale events and branding Labuan Bajo as a MICE destination," said Sandiaga.

Especially with the cancellation of the Komodo National Park entry fee increase of Rp3.7 million, will further increase tourist interest. Nevertheless, said Sandiaga, conservation efforts in order to preserve the living natural resources and their ecosystems in Komodo National Park will still be a major concern.

"We really appreciate the Provincial Government of East Nusa Tenggara which has officially revoked 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 added.

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The same thing was said by the Main Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (BPOLBF), Shana Fatina. Tourist interest in visiting Labuan Bajo is currently increasing.