Mawatu Takes Shape as 12-Hectare Mixed-Use Project in Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo — Mawatu is being developed on 12 hectares at Pantai Batu Cermin as an integrated project pitched as Labuan Bajo’s “new city centre,” according to reports published on 15 September 2026 by RRI and other Indonesian outlets carrying the same project details.

The development is framed around eight pillars: hospitality, lifestyle, culture, culinary, creative, maritime, nature and community. The project is presented as a mixed-use area that combines tourism, retail, dining, entertainment and public space with the coastal setting of Batu Cermin.

RRI reported that the lifestyle component is expected to include retail and food-and-beverage tenants, while the project also refers to plans for a Cinema XXI location, described in the report as the first modern cinema on Flores. The concept also includes an amphitheatre, with collaboration planned with local woven-textile artisans and creative communities.

Jonathan Budiman, Vasanta Group’s head of strategic marketing, said the growth of Labuan Bajo has created demand for a combined destination offering public space, lifestyle activities and tourism, according to RRI. He said the development is intended to support the area’s wider growth and create opportunities for nearby residents.

The project’s nature concept incorporates the beach, mangrove ecosystems and natural hills. The maritime pillar is named in the project’s concept, but the report does not set out specific facilities, boat services or marine-tourism operations.

Market context

RRI cited provincial statistics showing March 2026 air passenger traffic in East Nusa Tenggara reached 223,302, up 33.40% year on year, and April 2026 foreign visitor arrivals through the province’s main entry points totaled 26,604, up 31.97% year on year.

The same report said Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo accounted for 23.93% of air-passenger movements in East Nusa Tenggara in March 2026, while the province’s star-rated hotel occupancy rate reached 40.97% in April, an annual rise of 8.87%.

RRI also reported that direct Singapore-Labuan Bajo flights began in March 2025 with Jetstar Asia, were later continued by Scoot, and were supplemented by a direct Kuala Lumpur-Labuan Bajo route.

Those links are part of the broader tourism growth that has encouraged new hospitality and retail projects in Labuan Bajo. Mawatu’s coastal location also raises questions around environmental management and public access, but the project description cited in the reports does not provide an environmental-impact statement, shoreline-management plan or construction timetable.

Correction: The draft’s claim that the project was merely “planned” has been updated to reflect that the reports describe Mawatu as already being developed. The wording about “transport activity” was removed because the sourced material focuses on tourism, lifestyle and related commercial uses rather than transport infrastructure.

Sources

• RRI.co.id
• detik.com
• Media Indonesia