Tourists planning visits to Bali and other top destinations in Indonesia are being warned of scams and issues with travel agents that have the potential to ruin a dream vacation.
The news comes after a group of tourists were left abandoned at Labuan Bajo Marina Port in the Flores Islands after a fraudulent travel agent failed to book their trip properly.
Labuan Bajo in the Flores Islands, better known as the gateway to Komodo National Park is one of Indonesia’s five super-priority destinations. These hotspots have been identified as having huge potential for tourism and are receiving funding and resources from the central government to be transformed into what many are calling ‘five new Bali’s’.
Labuan Bajo is an exceptional travel destination that is seeing more and more demand from both international and domestic tourists. As an emerging tourism destination many travelers book their entire trips through travel agents.
Unlike Bali where it is becoming increasingly common for tourists to organize their entire trips themselves, in destinations like Labuan Bajo tourists feel more confident booking experiences through a travel agent. In fact, many experiences can only be arrange with the assistance of a travel agent.
This was the case for a group of 20 tourists, 13 from the USA and 7 from across Indonesia, who had booked a boat tour of Komodo National Park in early June.
The group was set to enjoy an extended family vacation, with family members visiting from the USA to celebrate a wedding in Bali. This would be followed by a once-in-a-lifetime liveaboard boat adventure in the Flores.
However, when the group arrived at Labuan Bajo Marina Port to start their tour, they discovered that the travel agent with whom they had made the booking had organized no such trip.
Talking to reporters one of the victims of the scam Ruth Krisnianti Utami explained that the group had spent over IDR 101 million with the travel agent on the tour.
However, when they arrived at the boat the owner of the vessel refused to set sail as the travel agent had not transferred the funds. The boat owner demanded a further IDR 50 million in order to commence the tour which the family refused to pay since they had already committed the funds for the experience upfront.
Utami told reporters of a day long saga which went from bad to worse after the family were passed about between boat operators, travel agents and middle-men. The situation escalated to the degree that the police had to be called to try and locate the fraudulent travel agent, who was nowhere to be found.
Utmai confirmed that she has been in contact with the American consulate regarding the situation.
Tourists traveling to Indonesia are urged to only book travel experiences through registered providers and with those who have positive reviews and legitimate websites.
It is also vitally important that tourists have fully comprehensive travel insurance that provides cover in the event of scams, theft or fraud.
At the end of May 2025 Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Tourism, Ni Luh Puspa issued urgent statements condemning the extortion of tourists in another of the country’s emerging tourism hotspots. An Indonesian YouTuber posted videos online of a recent trip to Sumba.
In the video Jajago Keliling Indonesia hosts John and his partner Riana shared the full experience of their time in the province; the good and the bad, including the moment when community members tried to extort money out of the couple during a village tour.
The Deputy Tourism Minister issued warnings to all travel destination Indonesia, including hotspots like Bali and emerging destinations like Sumba and Labuan Bajo, noting “We all have the same commitment and feeling that practices like this should not happen. This is a shared task to create a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable tourist destination.”
She added, “The Ministry of Tourism will continue to coordinate and collaborate with provincial and district tourism offices so that the community receives assistance in managing destinations and increasing tourism awareness.”
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