Study says Manggarai Barat drew 423,870 visitors in 2023

Labuan Bajo — A 2024 study says Manggarai Barat recorded 423,870 tourist visits in 2023, reflecting the rebound of travel around Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park after the pandemic slump. The paper argues that tourism brought economic opportunity while also increasing pressure on livelihoods, ecosystems and sustainable management.

The study, Tourist Growth and Adaptation of Local Community in Komodo National Park and Labuan Bajo, Manggarai Barat Regency, Indonesia, was published in the Asian Journal of Applied Research for Community Development and Empowerment by Imelda Masni Juniaty Sianipar and I Wayan Koko Suryawan. Its online publication date is listed as 14 January 2024.

The paper says the region’s tourism economy grew from a base historically tied to fishing and agriculture, then shifted more strongly toward hotels, tour operations and related services as Labuan Bajo developed as the gateway to Komodo National Park. It also says the pandemic exposed how dependent many households and businesses had become on visitor arrivals.

What the study says about the 2023 figure

The article presents the 423,870 figure as a record from the local tourism office, and the study itself says 2023 saw 423,870 tourists, up from 170,354 in 2022. The paper also breaks the 2023 total into 239,149 international visitors and 184,698 domestic visitors.

A separate local report quoting the Manggarai Barat tourism office said the same 2023 total was reached when visitor data from Komodo National Park and other attractions in Labuan Bajo were combined. That report also gave the same foreign and domestic breakdown.

Because the published material does not fully define the counting method, the figure should be read as an administrative tourism total rather than a simple headcount of unique individuals.

Community adaptation and pressure on the park

The paper says tourism growth created jobs and business opportunities, but it also added stress to natural resources and local livelihoods. It links the pressure to Komodo dragon habitat, marine ecosystems and the broader challenge of balancing development with conservation.

Among the responses discussed are community-based tourism, wider resident participation in planning, lower-impact tourism activities and visitor-capacity management at busy sites. The paper frames these as adaptation strategies rather than fully measured policy outcomes.

The study’s broader conclusion is that Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park cannot be managed as separate destinations: the port town depends on park-bound tourism, while the park depends on tighter controls to limit environmental damage. It presents sustainable tourism as a balance between conservation and local income, not as a choice between the two.

Key points from the study

• Reported 2023 visitors: 423,870
• International visitors: 239,149
• Domestic visitors: 184,698
• Study publication: 2024
• Main focus: tourism growth, local adaptation and conservation pressure in Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park

Context

The paper says it was received in December 2023, revised in January 2024 and published online on 14 January 2024. It also cites earlier research showing the region had already been moving toward tourism-led development before the pandemic.

For travellers, conservation readers and investors, the study is a snapshot of a region where tourism has clearly recovered, but where the main question is no longer whether visitors will return. The issue now is how much growth the park and surrounding communities can absorb without undermining the assets that draw people there in the first place.

Sources

• Tourist Growth and Adaptation of Local Community in Komodo National Park and Labuan Bajo, Manggarai Barat Regency, Indonesia
• Detik Bali report on Labuan Bajo 2023 tourism totals