BPOLBF Explained: The Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (Independent Guide)

BPOLBF — full name Badan Pelaksana Otorita Labuan Bajo Flores, or the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority — is the Indonesian government body created by Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 32 of 2018 to plan, develop, and coordinate tourism across Flores and to exercise direct authority over the Parapuar tourism zone above Labuan Bajo. It sits under the Ministry of Tourism (Kementerian Pariwisata). That answers the question BPOLBF di bawah kementerian apa directly: the Ministry of Tourism is its supervisory ministry, as specified in Perpres 32/2018.

If you are researching Parapuar investment, BPOLBF is the counterparty you must understand first. Every lot in Parapuar is offered through BPOLBF’s cooperation schemes — not through a private developer, not through ITDC, and not on the open land market. This page explains who BPOLBF is, what it controls, how its land rights work, and what the six cooperation schemes actually mean.

Legal Basis: Perpres 32/2018

Perpres No. 32 Tahun 2018 was signed on 5 April 2018 and promulgated on 8 April 2018. The full title translates as “Presidential Regulation on the Management Authority Body for the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Area.” As of the latest JDIH (National Legal Documentation Network) and BPK (Supreme Audit Agency) registry entries, no amendment or revocation of this regulation has been recorded.

The regulation defines a dual mandate that shapes everything BPOLBF does:

Coordinative mandate

BPOLBF coordinates tourism development policy across all 11 kabupaten on Flores — from Manggarai Barat in the west through Ende, Sikka, Flores Timur, and eastward to Lembata. It does not govern those kabupaten; it coordinates. Local government authority remains with each bupati.

Authoritative (otoritatif) mandate

Over the specific Parapuar core area in the Nggorang Bowosie forest above Labuan Bajo, BPOLBF holds direct development authority. This is the mandate that allows it to issue HPL (Hak Pengelolaan, or Land Management Rights) certificates and to offer those lots to investors under cooperation agreements.

The distinction matters for investors. When you engage with BPOLBF about a Parapuar lot, you are dealing with a body exercising its otoritatif mandate over land it holds under state HPL — not a private landowner, not a broker. The rules governing what can be built, how it is offered, and under what tenure are set by that HPL framework and the cooperation scheme chosen.

BPOLBF and the Parapuar HPL Zone

The Parapuar development area sits in the Hutan Bowosie (Nggorang Bowosie) forest on the hills immediately above Labuan Bajo town, roughly five minutes from Komodo International Airport. The total planning area commonly cited in BPOLBF and BKPM promotional materials is approximately 400 hectares. That figure appears consistently in official releases and in Jakarta Post advertorials, but no publicly available cadastral or regulatory document confirms “400 ha exactly.” Treat it as a planning figure.

The certified portion — the land BPOLBF actually holds under a registered HPL certificate — is Zone 1, approximately 129.6 hectares. This certificate was issued on 12 September 2023 and formally handed over to BPOLBF on 15 September 2023 at a ceremony in Parapuar attended by Deputy Minister of ATR/BPN Raja Juli Antoni and Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Angela Tanoesoedibjo.

The “129,609 hectares” unit error — explained

English-language readers searching BPOLBF land data will encounter a conspicuous figure: “129,609 hectares.” That number appears in at least one Antara English-language report. It is a number-format error, not a factual claim. Indonesian convention writes the decimal separator as a comma — so “129,609 ha” in an Indonesian source reads as 129.609 hectares, approximately 129.6 ha. 129,609 hectares would be 1,296 square kilometres, roughly three times the land area of Singapore — physically impossible for a forested hillside above a small coastal town. The correct figure is ≈129.6 ha for HPL Zone 1, corroborated by windonesia.com (“about 129.6 ha”) and the Indonesian-language Wikipedia entry (“129.60 ha” with 20.05% planned utilization). We flag it here because the Antara version circulates widely and confuses due diligence searches.

What 80% forest retention actually means

BPOLBF’s public materials and multiple Antara reports state that only around 20% of the HPL area is designated for built development, with approximately 80% retained as green or forest land. Applied to the 129.6 ha Zone 1 figure, that implies roughly 25.9 ha of buildable land and about 103.7 ha of retained vegetation. The pledge is real and appears in official planning documents; it is also publicly criticized by civil society on the grounds that infrastructure (roads, drainage, utilities) and fragmentation impacts extend across the “retained” land even where no structure is built. We present both the pledge and the critique — readers doing due diligence should weigh them.

The 19 investment lots are subdivided from within that approximately 25.9 ha of buildable area. BPOLBF has not published lot sizes or lot tariffs in any accessible public document; pricing and terms require direct negotiation with BPOLBF’s investment and cooperation division.

Structure: What Kind of Body Is BPOLBF?

The struktur BPOLBF is best understood by analogy to Indonesia’s other otorita bodies (Otorita IKN, ITDC/InJourney for Mandalika), though the governance details differ. BPOLBF is a non-structural government body (lembaga pemerintah non-struktural) under the President, supervised by the Ministry of Tourism. It is not a BUMN (state-owned enterprise) and it is not a local government unit. It has an executive board structure headed by a Director-General equivalent (Direktur Utama).

This matters to investors because BPOLBF functions simultaneously as a planning regulator, a land-right holder, and a cooperation partner for the Parapuar lots. It selects investors through a process that includes sustainability and compatibility screening — Frans Teguh, serving as Acting Direktur Utama in 2025, described 5–6 committed investors at that time and emphasized that BPOLBF applies selectivity criteria beyond simple investment value.

Leadership Timeline

The public record of BPOLBF leadership shows three named figures, with an important gap at the most recent point:

• Shana Fatina — served as BPOLBF head (Direktur Utama or equivalent) around 2023, quoted in Antara English-language coverage on the four-zone structure and 80% forest-retention commitment.
• Frans Teguh — served as Plt (Acting) Direktur Utama from at least 2024 into 2025. Cited in Antara and windonesia.com coverage dated 29 April 2025 on investor progress and the “5–6 committed investors” figure.
• Andhy M. T. Marpaung — named as Plt Direktur Utama in 2026 broadcast coverage, specifically associated with the PENTAS × Weekend at Parapuar event on 6 June 2026.

Whether a permanent (non-acting) Direktur Utama has been formally appointed as of mid-2026 is UNVERIFIED. Investors and journalists should verify the current leadership directly with BPOLBF before citing a name in correspondence or publications. The Plt prefix in each appointment indicates acting/interim status pending a formal selection process.

The Six Cooperation Schemes

BPOLBF’s official FAQ page (labuanbajoflores.id) lists six cooperation schemes available for investors seeking access to Parapuar lots. That page is currently compromised with gambling-spam injection — a technical issue on BPOLBF’s hosting, not a regulatory change — but its content is verifiable through archived captures and secondary reporting. Below is the first clean English rendering of all six schemes, with brief operational notes.

In practice, KSP and BGS are the schemes most commonly referenced in connection with hotel and hospitality investment at Parapuar. The legal instrument that a specific investor actually signs — whether it includes an HGB (Hak Guna Bangunan) derived from the HPL, a notarial cooperation deed, or a combination — is negotiated with BPOLBF and has not been disclosed publicly for any named investor. No publicly available Parapuar-lot tariff exists. Investors should budget for professional legal due diligence before entering any cooperation negotiation.

Parapuar Under BPOLBF: The Four Zones

BPOLBF and its predecessor presentations describe four development zones within the Parapuar area. The zone names below are the official English-language equivalents used in Antara EN reporting and BKPM materials; internal zone sizes have been reported by a single civil-society analysis and should be treated as approximate.

• Cultural Zone / Cultural District — facilities oriented to Manggarai and Flores cultural heritage, traditional arts, and interpretive experiences. Estimated ±114.73 ha (single source; UNVERIFIED).
• Leisure Zone / Leisure District — recreational and lifestyle facilities. Estimated ±63.59 ha (single source; UNVERIFIED).
• Wildlife Zone / Wild Nature Zone — conservation-integrated nature activities. Estimated ±89.25 ha (single source; UNVERIFIED).
• Adventure Zone — active outdoor and adventure facilities. Estimated ±132.43 ha (single source; UNVERIFIED). The 7.94% buildable utilization figure cited for this zone (10.52 ha of 132.43 ha) comes from a single critical-essay source; it does not necessarily apply uniformly across all zones.

These zone figures sum to approximately 400 ha and are consistent with the planning total, but no publicly accessible masterplan PDF has been located. The practical investment implication is that when BPOLBF designates a lot, the zone classification signals the type of development permitted — an adventure-sport facility would sit in the Adventure Zone, a cultural-performance venue in the Cultural Zone. Zone assignment is part of the due diligence conversation, not a figure to be assumed.

Committed Investors and Ground Reality (mid-2026)

Two investors have been publicly identified and named. A further three to four remain unnamed. The distinction between committed and built is significant and is not clearly communicated in official promotional materials.

Built and operational as of mid-2026:

• A short access road — approximately 1.5 km widely cited in speeches and media; cost, specifications, and completion date are not in public PUPR records.
• The 360° viewpoint / Natas Parapuar lookout at approximately 238 metres above sea level — this is the venue used for the Weekend at Parapuar (WAP) activation event series. The 6 June 2026 PENTAS × WAP edition attracted 1,044 visitors (Antaranews).
• Parapuar Park groundbreaking was held on 8 August 2024. Construction and completion status: UNVERIFIED.

Committed or in progress, not yet built:

• Dusit (Thailand) — Lot 1.6: A hotel investment reported at approximately US$15 million; status described as “in progress” (windonesia.com, 29 April 2025). Brand tier (Dusit Thani vs dusitD2 vs ASAI), room count, groundbreaking date, and opening timeline are UNVERIFIED. Single-source figure.
• PT Eigerindo Multi Produk Industri (Eiger): An Eiger outdoor-gear store and coffee shop, investment reported at approximately US$1.2 million, with a construction-start commitment cited around October 2025 (same 29 April 2025 report). Timing wording in the source is internally inconsistent; treat as a soft commitment date.
• PT Terra SparX: A wellness and agro-tourism / sport-tourism cooperation on Lot M and Lot N, confirmed in a Ministry of Tourism press release (kemenpar.go.id). Announcement date, investment value, and current construction status: UNVERIFIED.
• Up to three additional committed investors unnamed as of Frans Teguh’s April 2025 statement. Identities UNVERIFIED.

Total committed investment publicly identified: US$16.2 million (Dusit $15M + Eiger $1.2M), per Antara EN 315534. This represents committed capital, not deployed capital.

The Bowosie Forest Context

Understanding BPOLBF’s land authority requires understanding where that land came from. The ~400 ha Parapuar zone was carved from Hutan Bowosie — the Nggorang Bowosie state forest that functions as the ecological buffer and water catchment for Labuan Bajo town. The forest was classified as production forest, not protected forest, before the Perpres 32/2018 designation. Its release to BPOLBF required a Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) release decree; the specific SK (Surat Keputusan) number and date for that release are not publicly identifiable in media or NGO coverage — a genuine documentation gap that should concern any investor conducting full-scope environmental due diligence.

Four kampung — Racang Buka, Kaper, Lancang, and Nggorang — have claimed customary and long-term occupation of Bowosie land, with some residents citing farming going back to the 1960s–70s. In 2022, residents physically blocked land-clearing machinery; demonstrations in Labuan Bajo in 2022–2023 accompanied the HPL processing period. As of mid-2026, no publicly documented comprehensive settlement, compensation scheme, or formal recognition of adat claims has been recorded. The HPL certificate was issued (2023), the groundbreaking proceeded (2024), and investor promotion continued (2025) while those claims remain structurally unresolved.

Advocacy organizations tracking the situation include Sunspirit for Justice and Peace (Labuan Bajo), Floresa.co (investigative coverage 2019–2024), WALHI NTT, and AMAN Nusa Bunga. Investors with ESG or lender requirements should factor the absence of a documented settlement into their risk assessment.

The Wae Mese spring is the primary PDAM water source for Labuan Bajo town; the town already experiences intermittent supply. Critics — including WALHI NTT — argue that clearing and developing in the Bowosie catchment worsens recharge capacity, flood risk, and landslide risk. BPOLBF’s 80% forest-retention pledge is a mitigation commitment; whether it is sufficient is a matter of active civil-society dispute.

What BPOLBF Is Not: The Incentives Reality Check

Several investor-facing materials blend Parapuar with the general DPSP (Destinasi Super Prioritas) narrative in ways that suggest fiscal incentives that do not exist at Parapuar. To be precise:

• Parapuar is not a KEK. Special Economic Zone (Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus) fiscal facilities under PP 40/2021 — income-tax reductions, PPN/PPnBM relief, customs and excise exemptions — do not apply in Parapuar. The KEK designation has been proposed for the Golo Mori / Tana Mori zone (ITDC/InJourney), but as of mid-2026 that KEK was not yet established by Peraturan Pemerintah; investors should verify against the Dewan Nasional KEK published list.
• No tax holiday for standard hotels. The pioneer-industry tax holiday under PMK 130/PMK.010/2020 is generally not available to standard hotel/tourism businesses; they are not on the pioneer-industry list. Post-2025 status of the tax-holiday window should be verified against the current applicable PMK.
• Possibly applicable general facilities: Tax allowance under PP 78/2019 may be available depending on KBLI classification and regional annexes — case-by-case verification required. Vocational-training and R&D super-deduction schemes (PMK 128/2019 and PMK 153/2020) may be applicable to qualifying activities.

What BPOLBF does offer, and what its materials consistently emphasize, is: facilitation (coordinating licensing through BKPM/OSS), land-legality certainty (the “clean and clear” HPL certificate reduces title risk compared to private land in Labuan Bajo town), and location above a growing international gateway destination. No Parapuar-specific fiscal incentive has been publicly promised in any ministry or BPOLBF document this site has been able to verify. Investors expecting KEK-style tax relief should clarify their assumptions in writing with BPOLBF and Kementerian Investasi before proceeding.

BPOLBF vs. ITDC at Golo Mori: The Key Structural Difference

Two state-backed tourism zones near Labuan Bajo are often mentioned in the same breath — Parapuar (BPOLBF) and Golo Mori / Tana Mori (ITDC/InJourney). They operate under fundamentally different structures and should not be conflated.

Neither zone is a KEK as of mid-2026. Neither has a fully operational branded resort. The right choice between them depends on sector (MICE vs. nature/culture), timeline tolerance, and risk appetite — not on promotional copy.

Official Contact Paths

BPOLBF’s primary domain is labuanbajoflores.id. As of mid-2026, sections of that site including the investment FAQ page carry gambling-spam injection — a hosting security issue — but official press releases and contact information have continued to appear on the domain. BPOLBF’s investment and cooperation division can also be reached through the Kementerian Investasi / BKPM regional desk for NTT. The Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) issues periodic press releases on BPOLBF investor signings at kemenpar.go.id.

We do not have a current direct phone or email for BPOLBF’s investment desk that we can verify as live; authoritative contact details change with personnel rotations. The safest path is to write formally to BPOLBF’s official address in Labuan Bajo or to approach through BKPM’s investment coordination window, which is designed precisely for this purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does BPOLBF stand for, and what does it do?

BPOLBF stands for Badan Pelaksana Otorita Labuan Bajo Flores — the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority. Established by Perpres No. 32 of 2018, it coordinates tourism development across 11 kabupaten on Flores and holds direct authority over the Parapuar tourism zone above Labuan Bajo, where it manages approximately 129.6 ha of certificated HPL (Land Management Right) land and offers 19 investment lots to qualifying investors under six cooperation schemes.

BPOLBF di bawah kementerian apa — which ministry supervises BPOLBF?

BPOLBF operates under the Ministry of Tourism (Kementerian Pariwisata), as specified in Perpres 32/2018. It is not a Ministry of Public Works project, not under BKPM/Kementerian Investasi (though BKPM facilitates investor contact), and is distinct from ITDC/InJourney which is under the Ministry of SOEs. Supervision by Kemenpar means strategic direction and budget oversight come from the tourism portfolio.

Who is the current head of BPOLBF?

As of mid-2026, Andhy M. T. Marpaung has been named as Plt (acting) Direktur Utama in broadcast coverage associated with the June 2026 Parapuar events. Frans Teguh held the Plt Dirut role during 2024–2025. Whether a permanent, non-acting Direktur Utama has been formally appointed through the standard government selection process is not publicly confirmed. Verify directly with BPOLBF or through Kemenpar’s official communications before citing a name in formal documents.

How does the BPOLBF HPL work for investors — can a foreign company build on Parapuar land?

BPOLBF holds the land under HPL (Hak Pengelolaan), a state Land Management Right. Investors do not buy or freehold the land — they access it through one of the six cooperation schemes, most commonly KSP (Utilization Partnership) or BGS/BOT. A PT PMA (foreign-investment company) can, under Indonesian law, obtain HGB (Building Use Rights) derived from an HPL, giving it rights to build and operate for the term of the cooperation agreement. Under PP 18/2021, HGB on HPL can run up to 30 years with a 20-year extension and 30-year renewal, but the specific terms for any Parapuar lot are set by BPOLBF negotiation — no published standard term exists. Legal counsel with HPL-cooperation experience is essential before signing.

Does Parapuar offer tax holidays or KEK incentives?

No. Parapuar is not a Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus (KEK), and the fiscal incentives under PP 40/2021 that apply to KEKs — income-tax reductions, PPN relief, customs exemptions — do not apply here. Standard hotels and tourism resorts also generally do not qualify for the pioneer-industry tax holiday. General incentives such as the tax allowance under PP 78/2019 may be applicable depending on KBLI code and regional annexes, but this must be verified case-by-case with a tax adviser and Kementerian Investasi. Any investor who has been told that Parapuar carries guaranteed tax incentives should seek that assurance in writing from an official government source.