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Catholic Pilgrimage Travel Pattern in Labuan Bajo Released
Front Row (The Jakarta Post) August 15, 2024
The Catholic Pilgrimage Travel Pattern in Labuan Bajo. (BPOLBF)
The Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (BPOLBF), in collaboration with the Labuan Bajo Vicariate, has released the Catholic Pilgrimage Travel Pattern in Labuan Bajo. This travel pattern is a follow-up to the webinar on the Potential and Strategy for Developing Catholic Pilgrimage Tourism in Flores, held on May 17, 2024, and the focus group discussion on July 5, 2024. The aim is to position Flores Island as a premier Catholic pilgrimage destination in Indonesia.
Acting president director of the BPOLBF, Frans Teguh, explained that the travel pattern aims to enhance the visitor experience by providing information on destinations beyond nature and culture-based attractions in Labuan Bajo. Catholic pilgrimage tourism can serve as a major draw for tourists by offering unique spiritual experiences and activities.
"The Catholic Pilgrimage Travel Pattern in Labuan Bajo provides an enhanced experience for tourists following their visits to nature and culture-based attractions. The creation of this travel map also aims to foster high-quality, sustainable tourism while considering future trends that are increasingly personalized, customized, localized and smaller in scale," Frans said.
Further, vicar of Labuan Bajo, Rev. Rikard Manggu, Pr., said the initiative was a positive step toward introducing the spiritual beauty and cultural richness of Labuan Bajo to both Catholics and the general public.
"This initiative is a positive step toward introducing Labuan Bajo’s spiritual beauty and cultural wealth to Catholics and the wider community. With this travel pattern, we hope visitors will experience peace and inspiration during their visit, and gain a deeper understanding of their faith through meaningful experiences at religious sites in Labuan Bajo," said Rikard.
He added that the initiative was expected to contribute to raising awareness about cultural preservation and offer significant opportunities to promote tolerance as part of the local wisdom of Manggarai Barat.
"We also believe that this religious tourism will contribute to raising awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage and the history of the Catholic Church in this region. It is a great opportunity to promote tolerance and interfaith understanding, as well as supporting the local economy through responsible tourism. We pray that every journey undertaken through this program will bring blessings and benefits to all involved," Rikard said.
Additionally, Frans mentioned that the release of this specific Catholic pilgrimage Travel Pattern for Labuan Bajo coincides with the Golo Koe Festival. This provides tourists, pilgrims and visitors with alternative activities beyond the festival’s events. The Golo Koe Festival is one of the prominent Catholic religious events in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and is part of the Kharisma Event Nusantara 2024, featuring 110 curated events from 38 Indonesian provinces by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.
The travel pattern release is available through the BPOLBF’s social media channels (IG @bpolbf, FB BPO Labuan Bajo Flores), its website, the BPOLBF’s call center and the Tourist Information Center (TIC) at the BPOLBF office. It can be easily accessed by pilgrims and tourists.
The travel pattern can also be downloaded or accessed via https://bit.ly/petaziarahwisatareligikatoliklabuanbajo, through the information submenu on the labuanbajoflores.id website, the link on the BPOLBF’s call center +62 811-3879-4555, or the Catholic Pilgrimage Travel Pattern QR code available at the TIC (Jl. Soekarno Hatta No.88, Labuan Bajo) and the BPOLBF’s social media.
The travel pattern for Labuan Bajo includes 12 key locations for pilgrims and tourists, ranging from churches and Marian shrines to spiritual merchandise shops in Labuan Bajo, extending from Binongko to Marombok.
The 12 locations are: 1) Gua Firdaus Maria Ratu Dunia near Komodo International Airport, 2) Gua Maria Golo Koe, 3) Gua Maria Bunda Pengantara Rahmat at the SSpS Sisters Monastery, 4) Gua Maria Golo Kaca in Wae Mata, 5) Gereja Roh Kudus Labuan Bajo on Jl. Mgr. Van Beakum, 6) Gereja Katolik Paroki Bunda Segala Bangsa, Waeksambi, 7) Gereja Katolik St. Petrus Paroki Sernaru, 8) Gereja Stella Maris on Jl. Mutiara Labuan Bajo, 9) Yayasan St Damian, Binongko, 10) Gereja Katolik Sta. Theresia dari Kanak-Kanak Yesus Marombok, 11) Toko Pondok Rohani Pelita Harapan on Jln. Mgr. Van Beckum, and 12) Pondok Uskup emeritus Mgr Angkur in Desa Gorontalo, Labuan Bajo.
In addition to the travel pattern for Labuan Bajo, the BPOLBF is collaborating with dioceses across Flores, including the diocese of Ruteng, Ende archdiocese, Maumere diocese and Larantuka diocese, as well as local tourism offices, to develop the Catholic Pilgrimage Travel Pattern for Flores. This is expected to be released soon.
"The BPOLBF and the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry are currently working to make Flores Island a leading Catholic pilgrimage destination in Indonesia. As part of our commitment, we are also collaborating with local government stakeholders, tourism offices and dioceses across Flores to develop a comprehensive Catholic pilgrimage travel map for the island. We hope this will further strengthen Flores' branding as a premier Catholic pilgrimage destination in Indonesia," concluded Frans.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com