Labuan Bajo Visitor Arrivals Grew 16.6% a Year Between 2018 and 2024

Labuan Bajo — Visitor arrivals to West Manggarai Regency, including Labuan Bajo, grew at a 16.6% compound annual growth rate over the six years to 2024, according to hospitality consultancy HVS’s In Focus: Indonesia report.

HVS notes that the regency recorded a strong post-pandemic rebound, with total visitors reaching around 424,000 in 2023 and 411,000 in 2024, roughly double 2019 levels. The firm links the surge to Labuan Bajo’s growing profile as a priority tourism destination, the upgrade of Komodo Airport to international status in 2024 and demand induced by newly opened hotels.

Separate visitor statistics compiled by Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy for Labuan Bajo show a similar trajectory. The ministry report describes a rise from about 221,700 visits in 2019 to a peak of roughly 423,800 in 2023, followed by a decline to about 411,300 in 2024 as growth moderated after the initial rebound from the pandemic. Over the 2018–2024 window, the ministry data and the HVS analysis together point to sustained expansion in arrivals, punctuated by the 2020 downturn.

Growth across a volatile period

The 16.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) cited by HVS is calculated across the full six-year span from 2018 to 2024. A CAGR smooths fluctuations into a single annualised figure, meaning it blends pre-pandemic growth, the sharp collapse in 2020 and the subsequent recovery into one benchmark rather than showing year-by-year volatility.

Ministry figures illustrate that volatility. Visits to Labuan Bajo fell sharply to around 51,600 in 2020 amid travel restrictions, then climbed quickly, with international visitors consistently accounting for the majority of total arrivals between 2017 and 2024. By 2023, Labuan Bajo had reached its highest recorded annual visitor total, before edging down in 2024 while remaining far above pre-pandemic levels.

Local and national media have echoed those trends using official data. One outlet reported 411,349 tourists visiting Labuan Bajo in 2024, citing West Manggarai tourism authorities and noting that foreign visitors made up about 55.8% of the total, with domestic travellers accounting for roughly 44.2%. Another publication highlighted that the main attraction, Komodo National Park, welcomed 334,206 visitors in 2024, about two-thirds of them foreign tourists, underscoring Labuan Bajo’s role as a gateway to the park.

Linking arrivals to the wider tourism recovery

HVS situates West Manggarai’s performance within Indonesia’s broader tourism recovery. The report points to the country’s cultural attractions, biodiversity, beaches and infrastructure investment as pillars of demand, and lists Labuan Bajo among destinations targeted by government initiatives to diversify tourism beyond Bali. Oxford Business Group similarly notes that national policies and new offerings are intended to promote alternative locations and attract more international events, citing Labuan Bajo as one of the “super-priority” destinations.

At the national level, data compiled from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) show that travel and tourism’s total contribution to Indonesia’s economy is estimated at about 5.1% of GDP in 2024, below the sector’s 5.6% share in 2019 before the pandemic. WTTC’s research, summarised by DataGreat and referenced in a World Bank report, indicates that tourism GDP in 2024 grew by more than 12% year-on-year yet has not fully regained its pre-crisis weight in the economy.

Implications for investors

The rapid expansion in Labuan Bajo arrivals underscores the destination’s strengthening position in Indonesia’s tourism map and helps explain increased hotel development and the airport’s international upgrade. For accommodation investors, however, arrival growth is only one part of the picture.

Available public summaries from HVS and government sources detail visitor volumes and growth rates but do not provide a consistent series of Labuan Bajo-specific hotel indicators such as occupancy, average daily rate, revenue per available room, or total room inventory. Without that data, arrivals are best read as a demand signal rather than a complete measure of hotel performance or investment returns.

National tourism GDP figures from WTTC and the World Bank likewise offer context but cannot be used as a direct proxy for Labuan Bajo’s hotel market. Investors are therefore likely to supplement headline arrival statistics and national benchmarks with local market studies covering length of stay, spending patterns and operating metrics to assess how West Manggarai’s 16.6% CAGR in visitor arrivals translates into sustainable hotel demand.

Sources

• HVS – In Focus: Indonesia
• Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Indonesia) – Labuan Bajo Visitor Data Report 2019–2025 (PDF)
• Viva NTT – Faktor Utama Pendorong Lonjakan Wisatawan Asing ke Labuan Bajo
• The Straits Times – Labuan Bajo rises as holiday hot spot but overtourism remains a risk
• Oxford Business Group – Government promotes alternative Indonesian tourism destinations
• World Travel & Tourism Council – Indonesia’s Booming Travel & Tourism to Support More Than 12.5 Million Jobs
• DataGreat – Indonesia Tourism Intelligence 2025 — WTTC Verified
• World Bank – Indonesia Tourism Development Indicators (WTTC-based dataset)