Labuan Bajo Logged 308 Tourist-Boat Departures After Flores Quake

Labuan Bajo — The Labuan Bajo Harbormaster and Port Authority (KSOP Class III Labuan Bajo) recorded 308 tourist-boat departures carrying 3,651 passengers on Sunday, 16 August 2026, one day after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Flores, according to tourism data cited by the Ministry of Tourism and the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (BPOLBF).

The passenger count was broken down into 2,840 international visitors and 811 domestic travellers, and was updated as of 19:00 WITA on 16 August, according to BPOLBF’s post-earthquake assessment and industry summaries that reproduce the official figures.

BPOLBF reported that tourism activity at Labuan Bajo Marina Port was running smoothly and under control on that date, with marine tourism shipping authorized to resume under the Harbormaster’s guidance while officials continued to monitor transport, destinations and tourism facilities for safety.

The 308 recorded departures provide an early operational snapshot of marine tourism after the quake, but the available figures do not specify how many of those boats entered Komodo National Park as opposed to other coastal destinations.

Park visits resumed alongside port operations

Government tourism data for 16 August recorded visitor activity at four major sites in Komodo National Park: approximately 1,381 visitors at South Padar, 328 at Loh Liang on Komodo Island, 277 at Loh Buaya on Rinca Island, and 54 at Gili Lawa.

Taken together, those site counts amount to about 2,040 recorded visits across the four locations. BPOLBF and industry briefings caution that these figures represent visits per site rather than a tally of unique individuals, and may include tourists visiting more than one location in a single day.

BPOLBF Acting President Director Andhy MT Marpaung said coordination among KSOP, destination managers, local governments and tourism operators allowed marine tourism and park visits to resume quickly once safety checks had been carried out and port operations were cleared.

Park access and marine tourism remained contingent on safety assessments. BPOLBF stated that destinations should only reopen after authorities have determined that they are safe, and described temporary closures after the earthquake as mitigation measures rather than permanent shutdowns of tourism activity.

Transport and safety under continued monitoring

Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo was reported to be operating according to schedule soon after the quake, with flights generally running as normal, while services to some airports in harder-hit areas of Flores, including Haji Hasan Aroeboesman Airport in Ende, continued to face cancellations and adjustments.

BPOLBF said it was continuing to monitor both air and sea transport and advised tourists and operators to follow updates from government authorities, destination managers, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), and the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB), particularly in relation to potential aftershocks and changing access conditions.

Data snapshot

• Date and time: 16 August 2026, 19:00 WITA
• Tourist-vessel departures from Labuan Bajo Marina: 308
• Passengers: 3,651
• International passengers: 2,840
• Domestic passengers: 811
• Recorded Komodo National Park site visits: approximately 2,040 across South Padar, Loh Liang, Loh Buaya and Gili Lawa

Sources

• BPOLBF – Labuan Bajo tourism back to normal post-earthquake (Kementerian Pariwisata/BPOLBF news release)
• Maika Komodo Tour & Diving – Flores Earthquake 2026: Komodo & Labuan Bajo Travel Update
• Pear Anderson – Indonesia Southeast Asia Travel Industry Pulse
• Indonesia Juara – Labuan Bajo Tourism After the Flores Earthquake: Latest Update
• RRI – Pariwisata Labuan Bajo Kembali Normal usai Gempa
• Traveltext.id