Disaster Planning for Labuan Bajo Tourism Still Catching Up to Tsunami Risk

Labuan Bajo — Indonesia’s national disaster agency has repeatedly highlighted Labuan Bajo’s exposure to tsunami and earthquake hazards over the past five years, while local authorities have begun drawing up contingency plans and risk maps. Together, these steps suggest disaster planning is now more developed than in 2019, but official assessments still classify Manggarai Barat’s preparedness capacity as low.

In December 2019, then head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo publicly warned that priority tourism areas must be backed by stronger disaster readiness, including mitigation, early warning systems and regular drills. His remarks were made in the context of national efforts to improve preparedness and are widely cited in later policy documents about Labuan Bajo’s development as a super-priority tourism destination.

Since then, BNPB and the Manggarai Barat Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) have moved to strengthen contingency planning. In September 2022, BPBD Manggarai Barat reported it was drafting a contingency plan for earthquake and tsunami threats, in collaboration with BNPB and other local offices, to improve the district’s preparedness and response capacity. The plan is based on national guidelines for contingency planning and is intended to be activated as an operational plan if a disaster occurs.

Risk mapping and tourism-focused planning

Central and local agencies have also begun to tailor risk assessments to Labuan Bajo’s tourism role. A 2023–2024 initiative supported by BNPB aims to produce disaster risk assessment documents and risk maps for the Labuan Bajo tourism area, explicitly oriented to tourism assets and entities. According to a May 2025 workshop reported by a local outlet, the Manggarai Barat BPBD secretary, Yohanes Stat, urged the creation of destination-based risk maps and contingency plans that could be accessed by visitors and tourism operators.

BNPB has framed this work as part of a broader effort to make Labuan Bajo a disaster-resilient tourism hub. A 2025 release describes the national agency’s preparation of a Disaster Management Plan (RPB) for the Labuan Bajo National Tourism Strategic Area, building on a disaster risk study completed in 2023. The plan is designed to ensure that tourism development accounts for hazard scenarios affecting visitors, businesses and supporting infrastructure.

Tsunami exposure and current capacity

Recent official and media reports underline why these measures are considered urgent. BNPB has identified 31 villages in Manggarai Barat, including Labuan Bajo and several coastal settlements within Komodo district, as being at risk of tsunami impacts, placing the district in a low-capacity category overall. A BNPB official told local media in September 2024 that Labuan Bajo “is not free from the danger of tsunami,” and called for early mapping of tsunami potential in the super-priority tourism area.

Local authorities say they have begun practical mitigation steps. In November 2024, BPBD Manggarai Barat told a regional newspaper that its own assessments show geological hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis and land movement could affect Labuan Bajo. The agency reported socialization campaigns in coastal communities, the formation of village volunteers for earthquake and tsunami response, and the mapping of evacuation routes, assembly points and signage to guide residents during a tsunami.

Earlier, in 2020, BNPB had backed the “Disaster-Safe Tourism” initiative in Labuan Bajo by stationing a helicopter and fast boat in the area, with the vessel handed to search-and-rescue agency Basarnas and the helicopter placed under the local government and BPBD’s command. The support was intended to strengthen emergency response for both tourists and residents in Manggarai Barat and the wider Nusa Tenggara Timur province.

What the 2019 warning means today

These developments indicate that the governance gaps highlighted nationally in 2019 have at least begun to be addressed through contingency planning, tourism-oriented risk assessment and expanded communication with coastal communities. At the same time, BNPB’s own classification of Manggarai Barat’s capacity as low, and its continued emphasis on tsunami threats in Labuan Bajo, show that the area’s preparedness is still a work in progress rather than a completed safety net.

For visitors and investors, the practical implication is that Labuan Bajo is officially recognized as exposed to tsunami and earthquake hazards, and authorities are actively building systems to manage those risks. Disaster readiness is being strengthened through planning documents, training, evacuation mapping and the deployment of response resources, but national and local agencies continue to call for more robust risk mapping, contingency plans and public education.

Sources

• Bencana Kesehatan (BPBD Manggarai Barat contingency plan article)
• Bisnis.com – BNPB Dukung Wisata Aman Bencana Labuan Bajo
• BOPLBF – BNPB Gelar Lokakarya RPB, Wujudkan Pariwisata Labuan Bajo Tangguh Bencana
• SIAP SIAGA – Laporan Insepsi Kajian Risiko Bencana KSPN Labuan Bajo
• Detik.com – BNPB: 31 Desa di Manggarai Barat Berpotensi Tsunami, Termasuk Labuan Bajo
• Pos-Kupang.com – BPBD Ingatkan Potensi Tsunami di Labuan Bajo Manggarai Barat
• Liputan6.com – BNPB: Bencana Alam Tidak Bisa Dicegah
• Scribd – Rakor Perkembangan Isu dan Tindak Lanjut Pengembangan DPSD Labuhan Bajo
• BPBD NTT – Dokumen Rencana Kontinjensi Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami