BALANCING INFRASTRUCTURE PUSH WITH CONSERVATION IN LABUAN BAJO by Fardah

Jakarta, 22/11, 2020 (ANTARA) - Infrastructure and facilities are being installed in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai district, East Nusa Tenggara, as part of efforts to turn it into a super premium destination that will host world leaders besides the well-heeled.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who visited Labuan Bajo in January and October this year, has designated it as one of the 10 top priority tourist destinations, tagged Beyond Bali, along with Borobudur in Central Java, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, and Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara.

Indonesia is scheduled to take over the presidency of the G20 and the chairmanship of ASEAN, and the government is intent on preparing Labuan Bajo as the venue for the G20 Summit and the ASEAN Summit in 2023.

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio has urged hotels and restaurants in Labuan Bajo to implement health protocols based on Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability (CHSE) standards.

The CHSE certification is crucial for the tourism industry, particularly hotels and restaurants, to reclaim tourist confidence.

"This is aimed at offering a sense of security and comfort to tourists when they visit a destination that applies the health protocols. This certification has been aligned with world tourism organizations, such as the UNWTO and CTTI, as well as the Health Ministry," Kusubandio explained.

With construction in progress, the Komodo National Park has temporarily shut down the Loh Buaya tourist resort, which is situated within the Komodo National Park. The area has facilities for tourists, including cottages, a cafeteria, a shelter, and trails, and has become a popular location to observe wildlife.

It was deemed necessary to temporarily close Loh Buaya to enable the process of rearrangement of the natural tourism facilities and infrastructure on the island, a task that has been entrusted to the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, head of the Komodo National Park, Lukita Awang Nistyantara, explained on November 15, 2020.

Furthermore, the tourist resort has been temporarily closed from October 26, 2020 to June 30, 2021 for improving services and ensuring the safety of tourists, Nistyantara remarked.

'HIDDEN PARADISE' SETS SIGHTS ON WELL-HEELED TRAVELERS by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 24/10, 2020 (ANTARA) - If all goes according to plan, Indonesias hidden paradise Labuan Bajo will soon be transformed into a super premium tourist destination that will host world leaders besides the well-heeled.

Located in West Manggara district, East Nusa Tenggara province, which is considered as one of the least developed regions in eastern Indonesia, Labuan Bajo is blessed with stunning beaches of white and even pink sand, crystal clear waters, mountains, intact forested isles and valleys, with traditional villages at the center.

 

The tourist site has another appeal: it serves as a gateway to the Komodo National Park, home to the worlds only surviving giant lizard, the Komodo Dragon. The park is recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who visited Labuan Bajo twice this year in January and October, has designated it as one of the 10 top priority tourist destinations, dubbed as Beyond Bali, along with Borobudur in Central Java, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, and Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara.

 

Furthermore, the government is determined to develop Labuan Bajo as a super premium tourist attraction. Keen to showcase Labuan Baju to world leaders, President Jokowi is planning to host ASEAN and G20 Summits at the site in 2023.

 

More importantly, we also want to prepare Labuan Bajo [to host] the G20 [Summit] in 2023 and the ASEAN Summit in 2023, he said, noting that in 2023, Indonesia is scheduled to hold the presidency of the G20 and the chairmanship of ASEAN.

 

The Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has been tasked with developing infrastructure and facilities in Tana Mori and Tana Naga isles in Labuan Bajo, in cooperation with PT PP (Persero) Tbk.

 

"We plan to make Tana Mori a high-end resort in Labuan Bajo akin to Bali's Nusa Dua," development director of state-owned ITDC, Edwin Darmasetiawan, stated recently.

KOMODO NATIONAL PARK, LABUAN BAJO REOPEN TO DOMESTIC TOURISTS, EXPATS by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 25/8/2020 (ANTARA) - After remaining closed for nearly six months owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Komodo National Park (TNK) and Labuan Bajo have reopened to domestic tourists and expatriates living in Indonesia, albeit under several restrictions.

No more than 25 tourists are being allowed to visit each destination per day, with the observance of health protocols. Tourists are also being asked to furnish COVID-19 rapid test results showing that they are not infected with the virus.

In addition, the East Nusa Tenggara authorities are asking visitors to register online for entry tickets to Labuan Bajo through the website https://booking.labuanbajoflores.id/.

Tourists planning a trip to the Komodo National Park are being requested to use the services of certified local tour agents, who can be contacted through https://booking.labuanbajoflores.id/export/list-ta-to, according to Muhammad Iqbal, spokesperson for the Komodo National Park office.

Furthermore, the government has designated Komodo Island as a premium tourist destination, with visitors thronging the place to enjoy rare sightings of Komodo dragons in the wild.

The number of tourists visiting the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) habitat will be limited to 50 thousand annually, according to the authorities.

"Komodo Island has been prepared specifically as a conservation island, and we will limit entry to no more than 50 thousand visitors a year," East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat stated recently.

The NTT government has decided on the policy after the central government agreed to grant the province the status for co-management of the Komodo National Park in West Manggarai district along with the Environmental Affairs and Forestry Ministry.

Komodo National Park, Labuan Bajo deserted amid COVID-19 outbreak by Fardah

Jakarta , May 8, 2020 (ANTARA) - Marcia Stephanie, owner of iDive Komodo diving operator, sent her employees home, as her business lost customers following the temporary closure of the Komodo National Park as a measure to break the COVID-19 transmission chain.
“We have had no trip since March 22 when the Komodo National Park director announced the park’s closure due to COVID-19,” she told Bisnis journalist on April 6, 2020.
Her employees received full salaries for the last time in February, while they got just quarter of their salaries in April.
All diving operations in Komodo Island and Labuan Bajo in West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, closed since no tourist had visited the two destinations owing to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The Komodo National Park has been closed from March 22 to May 29, 2020, to support the central government’s policy of large-scale social distancing measure imposed following announcement of the country’s first confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020.
The Komodo Labuan Bajo International Airport has also temporarily ceased its operations from April 24 to June 1, 2020, in line with restricting the movement of people.
The Komodo National Park and its adjacent Labuan Bajo, both with unique and enthralling scenery, fauna, and flora, were recently designated by the central government as premium tourist destinations.
However, with the global economy, including the tourism industry, bearing a severe brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of tourists visiting the two destinations has dropped drastically, up to some 50 percent, since February.
"The number of foreign tourists to Labuan Bajo has decreased by nearly 50 percent," Agustinus Rinus, head of the West Manggarai tourism office, stated on April 6.

KOMODO ISLAND TO BE DEVELOPED INTO VERY EXCLUSIVE TOURIST ATTRACTION

26 Jul 2019 16:17

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah
Jakarta, 26/7 (Antara) - The controversy over Komodo Island has died down after the central government gave the go-ahead for temporarily closing the ecotourism destination to be developed into a conservation area and a very exclusive tourist attraction.
Komodo Island is located within the Komodo National Park (TNK) that spans 137 thousand hectares, of which 60 percent constitutes waters. The park has 147 islands, including five major islands: Gili Motang Island, Padar Island, Nusa Kode Island, Komodo Island, and Rinca Island.
The TNK is home to 2,800 Komodo dragons (Veranus Komodoensis), including 1,040 heads on Rica Island, while the rest live on Komodo Island, Giling Motang Island, and other smaller islands.

In 1977, TNK was named a biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and in 1991, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2012, it was listed as the New 7 Wonders of Nature sites.
The TNK recorded revenue amounting to Rp32 billion from tourist visits to the park during 2018, an increase from Rp29 billion in the previous year. A total of 176,830 tourists, comprising 121,409 foreigners and 55,421 Indonesians, had visited the TNK last year, a surge from 119,599 visitors in 2017, and a drastic increase from 80 thousand tourists in 2014, according to Lukita Awang, head of TNK.
During a visit to Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) confirmed that Komodo Island will be developed into a conservation area and only few tourists, willing to dig deeper into their pockets, will be allowed to land on the island to see the Komodo Dragon, the worlds only surviving giant lizards in the wilderness.

CLOSURE OF KOMODO ISLAND FEARED TO SHAKE TOURISM INDUSTRY by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 31, 2019 (Antara) - As a controversy drags on about a plan of the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) governor to close Komodo Island for a year, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has finally voiced his objection and considered it irrelevant.

         Komodo Island is one of the major islands inside the Komodo National Park, located in proximity to Labuan Bajo, one of the 10 priority tourist destinations designated by the Government as "New Bali."
    The nine other destinations are Borobudur in Central Java; Mandalika on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara; Bromo-Tengger-Semeru in East Java; Pulau Seribu in North Jakarta; Lake Toba in North Sumatra; Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi; Tanjung Lesung in Banten; Morotai in the northern region of Halmahera in the Maluku Islands; and Tanjung Kelayang in Belitung, Bangka Belitung.

         Both Komodo Island and Labuan Bajo are located in West Manggarai District on Flores Island, and they are the backbone of the tourism industry of NTT, in particular, and Indonesia, in general.

         Hence, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya opined that a plan to close Komodo Island would be irrelevant to the tourism industry.

         "It is not relevant, as Vice President JK (Jusuf Kalla) has said," Yahya stated in response to the press' questions on January 30, 2019.

        Kalla, in Jakarta recently, expressed his objection to the planned closure of Komodo Island and called for a detailed and comprehensive study of the plan. 
   The tourism industry is in urgent need of certainty to run the business, so any issue on the closure of a tourism destination will directly affect the performance of the tourism sector.

        Travel agents and operators are looking for certainty without which they would not dare to advertise or offer their services, Yahya noted.

CLOSURE OF KOMODO ISLAND REQUIRES COMPREHENSIVE STUDY by Fardah

  Jakarta, Jan 26, 2019 (Antara)- Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat, who has held the position as the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Governor since September 2018, seems to have several plans regarding the Komodo National Park, in general, and Komodo Island, in particular.

        Around one month after the governor was installed, Laiskodat announced that his administration would take over the management of the Komodo National Park from the Environmental Affairs and Forestry (LHK) Ministry.

         "I will never hesitate to confront anyone. I will see the president. We do not want to accept someone from the central (government) here, because we are from the central (government) here. We are the one who take control," Laiskodat, politician of the National Democrat (Nasdem) Party, was quoted as saying by Pos-Kupang.Com on Oct 12, 2018.

         His second plan is to raise the entry ticket fare to the Park to US$500 per foreign tourist, for conservation purposes and revenue increase for the local government.

         "$500 is a donation for the development of the world ecosystem," the NTT governor stated recently.  
   The entry ticket fare to the Komodo National Park is now Rp150 thousand (less than $10) for a foreign tourist and Rp5 thousand for a domestic tourist.

         His third plan is to close Komodo Island for a year for conservation of its flora and fauna.

        Laiskodat revealed that LHK Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar had agreed to his plan to close Komodo Island for a year.

        "Minister of LHK agrees. She noted that as long as it is good, there is no problem. We are now processing the technical matters," the governor stated in Kupang, NTT, on Jan 22.

        Laiskodat remarked that the closure of Komodo Island, located in West Manggarai District, Flores Island, NTT, will be materialized when Bakar agrees with his request for cooperation to manage the Komodo National Park, which has, so far, been directly under the management and supervision of the LHK Ministry.

RI HAILS PROVISIONAL INCLUSION OF KOMODO IN NEW7WONDERS by Fardah

      Jakarta, Nov 12, 2011 (ANTARA) - After high-profile efforts to mobilize the Indonesian people`s support and despite a controversy over its participation in the New7Wonders of Nature competition, the Komodo has finally been provisionally shortlisted as one of the winners.
       On its official website Friday (Nov 11), the New7Wonders Foundation announced the first count of vote results of the provisional New7Wonders of Nature sites, namely the Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River, and Table Mountain.

CAMPAIGN ON KOMODO UNITES INDONESIAN PEOPLE by Fardah

      Jakarta, Nov 4, 2011 (ANTARA) - The Komodo dragon, the world`s last remaining prehistoric giant lizard, is to be found only in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, but the campaign to make Komodo one of the New7Wonders of Nature has received support from people throughout Indonesia.
       As of October 15, 2011, Indonesia`s major telecommunication operators such as Telkomsel, XL, Indosat, and Telkom Flexi have provided free SMS (short message text service) for those wanting to give their votes to support Komodo Island as one of the 28 official finalists in the New7Wonders of Nature (N7WN) competition.

INDONESIANS STILL HAVE 18 DAYS TO VOTE FOR KOMODO by Fardah

      Jakarta, Oct 23, 2011 (ANTARA) - As of October 15, 2011, Indonesia`s major telecommunication operators such as Telkomsel, XL, Indosat, and Telkom Flexi have provided free SMS (short message text service) for those wanting to give their votes to support Komodo Island as one of the 28 Official Finalists in the New7Wonders of Nature (N7WN).

     Komodo Island located in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is the only island in the world which has komodo dragons, the giant lizards. The Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, altogether covering a total area of 1,817 square kilometers.

KOMODO ISLAND PROMOTION ACTIVITIES BEING INTENSIFIED by Fardah

      Jakarta, Oct 5, 2011 (ANTARA) - The tourism and culture ministry has decided to withdraw the candidacy of Komodo for inclusion in the New Seven Wonders of Nature (N7WN) list, but an NGO, the P2Komodo (Supporting Committee for Komodo Island) is determined to continue the Komodo campaign for N7WN.
       Despite their differences, both the government and P2Komodo have been intensifying promotion activities of the unique island, which is home to the Komodo dragon, the world`s largest lizard, internationally and nationally.

PROs AND CONs ON KOMODO'S WITHDRAWAL FROM NEW7WONDERS COMPETITION by Fardah

       Jakarta, Aug 16, 2011 (ANTARA) - The culture and tourism ministry`s decision to withdraw the Komodo National Park from participation in the final evaluation round in the competition for the New Seven Wonders of Nature (N7WN) title has drawn pro and contra reactions.
       After being in `dispute` with the Switzerland-based New7Wonders Foundation for several months, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik finally announced the decision on the withdrawal on Monday (Aug. 15, 2011).

TEAM FORMED TO END CONTROVERSY OVER KOMODO TRANSFER PLAN by Fardah

    Jakarta, Aug. 13, 2009 (ANTARA) - The forestry ministry has finally decided to set up a team of experts to study its plan to transfer 10 Komodo dragons from Flores to Bali, following a controversy on the plan.

         The formation of the team was recommended by a meeting of various stakeholders in the matter, chaired by Forestry Minister MS Kaban in Jakarta, on Wednesday (Aug 12).