Minister Says Labuan Bajo is the Face of Indonesian Tourism to the World
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana has said Labuan Bajo is now one of the faces of Indonesian tourism on the world stage. Its natural beauty attracts many travellers from various countries to Labuan Bajo and the wider Flores region.
Widiyanti made the remarks in her speech at the opening of the 2026 Golo Koe Maria Assumpta Nusantara Festival at Waterfront City Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday evening (10/8/2026). The peak week of the fifth Golo Koe Festival runs from 10 to 15 August 2026.
“Labuan Bajo today has become one of the faces of Indonesian tourism in the eyes of the world. Its natural beauty brings travellers from all corners of the globe to come and get to know Flores,” Widiyanti said.
She stressed, however, that tourism progress must go hand in hand with the identity of local communities. “Amid this development, there is one thing we must safeguard: tourism progress must proceed in step with the identity of the people who are its hosts,” she said.
According to her, that spirit has been present from the outset through the Golo Koe Festival. Five years ago, she explained, the Diocese of Ruteng posed an important question: how can Labuan Bajo continue to grow without losing the values that form the roots of its community’s life.
“The Golo Koe Festival provides the answer through a celebration that brings together faith, tradition and the life of the Manggarai people in a space open to everyone,” Widiyanti asserted.
She said the Golo Koe Festival offers an experience for tourists visiting Labuan Bajo. At the same time, local people remain the main actors.
“This is where I see the Golo Koe Festival: tourists come to experience Labuan Bajo more fully, while the community remains the principal actor in determining how its identity is presented to the world,” Widiyanti said.
The Bishop of Labuan Bajo, Monsignor Maksimus Regus, said the Golo Koe Festival is a space for encounter, creativity and collaborative journeys across actors and sectors. The festival is part of a shared intention to fill Labuan Bajo’s super-premium tourism space.
“We want this rapidly growing tourism space to also have a constructive impact on us in the local community,” Mgr Maksimus said in his opening address.
Mgr Maksimus stressed that the Golo Koe Festival is part of promoting Labuan Bajo tourism. It is also part of the strength, or a promoter, of the values of ecological sustainability and life in the area. Therefore, the beauty of Labuan Bajo that attracts tourists must be preserved.
He explained that Labuan Bajo has been blessed by God with complete beauty. Labuan Bajo has now become one of the world’s leading tourist destinations.
Mgr Maksimus warned against activities or policies that damage the environment and thereby erode Labuan Bajo’s beauty. Ecological damage threatens the sustainability of the super-priority tourism destination.
“Labuan Bajo is endowed with complete beauty. If it is not protected, that complete beauty will also suffer erosion over time,” Mgr Maksimus said.
“Therefore we also affirm that when we choose tourism as one of our mainstays, any activity or policy that threatens the sustainability of the ecological environment is, I believe, contrary to our shared intention,” he asserted.
The festival carries the theme ‘Communal Pilgrimage in Synergistic Fellowship to Care for the Integrity of Creation’. Safeguarding ecological sustainability is an effort to safeguard the sustainability of Labuan Bajo tourism.
“That is what we must protect, and hopefully our collaborative journey will produce inspiration for activities that have an impact, especially for local communities, for those who might be left behind by the tourism development train in particular and development in general,” Mgr Maksimus concluded.
The Golo Koe Festival is organised by the Catholic Church of the Diocese of Labuan Bajo in cooperation with the West Manggarai Regency Government. The festival is a celebration of faith, culture, society and ecology.
Visitors can watch a range of activities throughout the festival’s peak period. From the first day, 10 August, visitors are welcomed with an MSME exhibition, art performances and various cultural attractions showcasing local riches.
On 11 August, the programme emphasises ecological commitment through ecological action at Binongko Beach: an ecological service, rubbish collection and mangrove planting. The 2026 Golo Koe Festival places environmental issues at the heart of the celebration. On 12 August, the schedule features social-charitable activities, a lively cultural carnival and a colossal dance involving hundreds of dancers from SMKS Stella Maris Labuan Bajo.
Next, a colossal Caci performance by students of SMKS Stella Maris and SMKN 3 Komodo on 13 August showcases the meaningful strength of Manggarai culture.
The festival’s spiritual peak comes on 14 August with the Grand Procession of Maria Assumpta Nusantara. A statue of the Virgin Mary will be carried from Stella Maris Church to the Blue Pier, then follow a sea procession to the Golo Koe Marian Grotto.
As the closing event, 15 August will feature the Grand Eucharist of Maria Assumpta Nusantara at Waterfront City, followed by a music concert featuring guest star Alvin Jo, a graduate of the third season of X-Factor Indonesia.