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But even as locals in the tourism-reliant town have cause for optimism, there are questions on how the plans will come to fruition. For one thing, no one seems to have a clear idea of what it means to “go premium”.

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“We still don’t have a common understanding on the meaning of ‘premium destination’. It is being worked out by the tourism ministry in Jakarta,” said Agustinus Rinus, a local tourism official.

Labuan Bajo tourism operators say the main appeal of their hometown, which has 2,000 residents, is usually its proximity to the giant lizards at Komodo National Park, a two-hour boat ride away.

This is especially so for Chinese tourists, according to Alen Aliansi, a guide who runs the Komodomarina tour.

“Chinese visitors typically want to see only the reptiles,” said Alen, adding that visitors from the United States or Europe were also drawn to cultural sites such as Wae Rebo, a traditional highland village about a seven-hour drive away from Labuan Bajo.

Other sites of interest around Flores Island include the megalithic village of Bena, located 700 metres above sea level, and the tricoloured Kelimutu volcanic lake.

The Komodo National Park, which spans 1,733 square kilometres and encompasses 29 islands, has been enjoying good growth.

Last year, it saw some 187,000 visitors, up 14 per cent from the year before, while tourism revenue reached 60.6 billion rupiah (US$4.4 million) in 2019, up a whopping 74 per cent from the previous year, said tourism official Rinus.

Foreign tourists accounted for one-fifth of the total visitors, with about 104,700 overseas travellers visiting the park last year, up from 91,700 the previous year, Rinus added.

To attract more tourists, the central government has launched infrastructure projects in Labuan Bajo, including a boost to the Komodo International Airport.

“We have to prepare from now, for the upcoming meeting,” Widodo said this month during a visit to Labuan Bajo, referring to his suggestion of hosting a diplomatic summit there in three years.

The comments came a month after he told media the town was “super premium”, and that tourism officials had been briefed to market it as such.

“Labuan Bajo is super premium. I have warned agencies to be careful. Don’t mix super premium with the middle-lower ones,” he said, adding that a quota system for travellers would be implemented.

But the mission to transform Labuan Bajo is filled with challenges, including environmental and transport issues.

Some 12.8 tonnes of waste are generated in Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park each day, including 600kg of trash produced by the town alone.

Waste dumped by ships which then washes up ashore is also a problem.

Widodo said the central government would build an incinerator in the town, and that the local government would be tasked to educate residents on how to better manage their domestic waste.

The central government has also appointed an airport consortium – consisting of Indonesia’s PT Cardig Aero Services and Singapore’s Changi Airports Mena – to manage and operate Komodo airport in Labuan Bajo for 25 years. The transport ministry said it would spend 1.2 trillion rupiah (US$86 million) to expand the airport’s runway, apron and international terminal, and another 5.7 trillion rupiah to fund its operations.

Hotasi Nababan, the project leader of the airport expansion plan, said works would likely start in September this year, or the beginning of 2021 at the latest. “We have big plans and we want to make Labuan Bajo the entry point to destinations in Flores Island,” he said.

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Meanwhile, observers have warned of the risks a tourism blitz might bring to the region, citing Bali as an example to avoid. The province, an hour’s flight from Labuan Bajo, has been suffering the effects of overtourism, including vandalism to historic architecture, plastic-waste pollution and dilution of local culture.

Having a travel site shut down due to overtourism would be a disaster for smaller regions such as Labuan Bajo, which was dealt a blow last year when the central government announced plans to close Komodo Island – one of the larger islands within Komodo National Park – for one year.

Some of the environment ministry’s concerns included poaching, food handouts by tourists altering the lizards’ eating behaviour and large crowds affecting the animals’ mating habits. But officials later shelved the decision after strong protests from locals.

Other analysts have also noted that extensive marketing and training would be needed if the region were to host more visitors.

“While tourism could be one of our hopes to boost foreign exchange revenues, there is much to be done in terms of promotion, tourism infrastructure and human resource skills,” said David Sumual, an economist at PT Bank Central Asia in Jakarta.

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Amid the raft of work needed to transform Labuan Bajo, at least one hotelier is optimistic.

Antonelo Benedetti, the owner of Komodo Resort on the nearby Sebayur Island, said his clientele consisted mostly of high-end European travellers who would fork out top dollar to visit the region.

He is also trying to woo wealthy Chinese travellers by marketing his resort at tourism exhibitions in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Benedetti said one popular local suggestion to make the area feel more exclusive was to raise the entry fee for foreign visitors to Komodo National Park from US$7 to US$1,000 – an idea he supported.

“It is not a problem as far as I can tell, as long as the service is excellent,” he said. ■

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