Minister of Tourism Calls Labuan Bajo the Face of Indonesian Tourism in the Eyes of the World

Minister of Tourism (Menpar) Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said that Labuan Bajo is currently one of the faces of Indonesian tourism in the eyes of the world. Its natural beauty attracts many tourists from various countries to come to Labuan Bajo and the Flores region in general.

This was conveyed by Widiyanti in her speech at the opening of the 2026 Golo Koe Maria Assumpta Nusantara Festival at Waterfront City Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Monday (10/8/2026) evening. The peak week of the fifth Golo Koe Festival will be held on August 10-15 2026.

"Today Labuan Bajo has become one of the faces of Indonesian tourism in the eyes of the world. Its natural beauty brings tourists from all over the world to come and get to know Flores," said Widiyanti.

However, he emphasized that tourism progress must go hand in hand with the identity of the local community. "In the midst of these developments, there is one thing that we must maintain, the progress of tourism must go hand in hand with the identity of the community that hosts it," said Widiyanti.

According to him, that spirit has been presented from the start through the Golo Koe Festival. Five years ago, he explained, the Ruteng Diocese asked an important question, how Labuan Bajo could continue to develop without losing the values ​​that were the roots of its people's lives.

"The Golo Koe Festival presents the answer through a celebration that brings together the faith, traditions and life of the Manggarai people in a space that is open to everyone," stressed Widiyanti.

He said the Golo Koe Festival provides an experience for tourists visiting Labuan Bajo. On the other hand, local communities remain the main actors.

"This is where I see the Golo Koe Festival, tourists come to experience Labuan Bajo more fully while the community remains the main actor who determines its identity to the world," said Widiyanti.

Bishop of Labuan Bajo, Monsignor (Mgr). Maksimus Regus said that the Golo Koe Festival was a space for encounter, creativity and collaborative journeys between actors and sectors. The presence of the Golo Koe Festival is part of the collective intention to fill Labuan Bajo's superpremium tourism space.

"We want this rapidly growing tourism space to also have a constructive impact on those of us in the local community," said Msgr. Maksimus in his speech at the opening of the festival.