Most people who come to Labuan Bajo spend the majority of their time on the water. The Komodo open trip, the Phinisi charter, the island hopping across Padar, Rinca, Pink Beach, and Manta Point: the sea is the core of the experience and rightly so. But the Indonesian government's tourism authority for the region has been quietly developing something on land that is worth knowing about before you plan your trip.
The Parapuar zone is a new tourism development area in Labuan Bajo being built directly under the management of BPOLBF, the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority. The masterplan was one of the centrepieces of BPOLBF's exhibition at Rakornas Pariwisata 2026, the National Tourism Coordination Meeting held in Jakarta on May 20 and 21, 2026. It is structured around four zones: a cultural zone housing a cultural centre, research facilities, and gallery spaces for local artists and craftspeople; a recreation zone; a wild zone; and an adventure zone.
BPOLBF has described the investment potential of the Parapuar area at up to Rp 800 billion. In January 2026, the authority signed cooperation agreements with two investors, PT Terra SparX and Koperasi Pesantren Al-Ittifaq, specifically for wellness tourism and agrotourism development within the zone. The concept framing is built around what BPOLBF calls 3ECNC: Ethno, Eco, Education, Culture, and Nature Conservation.
What This Adds to a Labuan Bajo Itinerary
The Weekend at Parapuar programme, already running in 2026, positions the zone as an accessible land-based complement to the sea-focused Komodo experience. For visitors spending more than three or four days in Labuan Bajo, which increasing numbers are doing, having a quality destination on land that offers cultural engagement, wellness programming, and nature-based activities expands what the town itself can offer beyond the harbor.
Flores traditional textiles were displayed at BPOLBF's Rakornas booth alongside local small business products, representing the direction the agency wants the zone to take: economic inclusion for Flores communities embedded directly into the visitor experience rather than added as an afterthought.
This is significant for travelers who think about where their money goes when they travel. Parapuar's design explicitly connects tourism revenue to local artisans, farmers, and cultural practitioners rather than channelling it entirely to resort infrastructure. Acting Director General Andhy MT Marpaung stated at Rakornas that BPOLBF's mandate explicitly includes community empowerment, local economic strengthening, and cultural preservation as pillars equal in weight to environmental sustainability.
The Bigger Picture
Labuan Bajo's value as a destination has always been anchored in what is underwater and on the protected islands of Komodo National Park. That anchor is not going anywhere. The 1,000 visitor daily cap introduced in April 2026 ensures the park's ecology is protected and the quality of the experience on the water stays high.
What Parapuar represents is the extension of that value onto the mainland of Flores, giving the destination depth in both directions. A traveler who arrives for the Komodo trip, stays an extra two days, spends an afternoon at Parapuar engaging with Flores textile culture, eats at a restaurant sourcing from local farms, and leaves with an understanding of where they actually were: that is the version of tourism BPOLBF is building infrastructure to support.
It takes time to build. But the masterplan is on the table, the investors are in conversation, and the national forum has heard the pitch.
Dara Flores Adventures can help you plan a Labuan Bajo itinerary that pairs your Komodo trip with the best the town and surrounding Flores region has to offer. Talk to us about your dates →