Throughout 2022, 170,352 tourists were registered as visiting Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). According to the Flores Tribune, Pius Baut, the Head of the West Manggarai Culture and Creative Economy Tourism Office, 109,307 of them were domestic tourists, 60,770 foreign tourists, and 275 local tourists.
The biggest number of tourists arrived in July, with 25,770. However, there was a drop the next month until November 2022. “August 19,210, September 14,286, October 13,939, November 10,793 then saw a minor increase in December, precisely 11,535 tourist visits.
“60,770 foreign tourists, 109,307 domestic tourists, and 275 local tourists,” said Pius Baut, the head of West Manggarai Tourism, Creative Economy, and Culture (Disparekrafbud) in Labuan Bajo.
The number of tourists visiting in 2022 is much lower than the 256,609 travelers who visited in 2019. Visits in 2020 and 2021 are removed from the comparison since the COVID-19 pandemic situation continues to restrict people’s movements.
The largest number of tourists visiting Labuan Bajo in 2022 was 25,770 in July. The lowest number of visitors occurred in February, with as many as 4,464 people.
5,000 Crowded Tourists in Labuan Bajo Celebrate New Year
Labuan Bajo is crowded with tourists who want to celebrate the New Year’s Eve. They come to enjoy the sensation of the concert.
PT Aviasi Wisata Indonesia (Persero) or Injourney successfully held a concert entitled New Years Eve Concert (NYE’s) at Labuan Bajo on New Year’s Eve. As many as 5,000 tourists came there, even though initially it was only targeted to be attended by 3,000 people.
Injourney’s Director of Marketing and Tourism Program, Maya Watono, appreciated the high enthusiasm of tourists who enlivened the international class New Year’s party which was held for the first time in Labuan Bajo.
The favorable response from tourists to New Year’s Eve in Labuan Bajo encourages Injourney to continue producing other events and other tourism programs that are no less fantastic in 2023.
“We hope that NYE’s Labuan Bajo can serve as a catalyst for other event organizers to showcase an international-class event in the Labuan Bajo Marina Waterfront region, which will undoubtedly have a good influence on the local economy and MSMEs in the surrounding area,” Maya said.
Visitors to Labuan Bajo not only visit the Komodo National Park, but they also visit a variety of adjacent tourist spots, including Manggarai, Ngada, Ende, Sikka, and East Flores on the island of Flores.
Aside from it, many people go island hopping (crossing the island) to Timor, Alor, Rote, and Sumba islands. The pattern of these trips is obviously extremely beneficial since it shows that tourism in NTT is increasing worldwide, as shown from the number of tourist visits continuing to increase from time to time.
source: travel.kompas
