Bridging the policy-practice gap: an evaluation of sustainable resilience tourism governance in Indonesia’s Super-Priority Destination, Labuan Bajo

Abstract This study analyzes Labuan Bajo, Indonesia,’s rapid expansion as a tourist destination within sustainable tourism, concentrating on regulatory and governance issues. Labuan Bajo’s access to Komodo National Park creates economic opportunity but also degradation of resources, inequity, and environmental vulnerability. The study uses three analytical frameworks—Regulatory Mapping (RegMAP), Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), and Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP)—to assess the region’s tourism governance and emphasizes the importance of integrating economic, environmental, and socio-cultural factors into tourism development. Policy and implementation are at challenge, with top-down administration limiting local engagement and control. Existing policies support sustainable-resilience tourism, but they typically favor short-term economic growth above sustainability, creating socio-environmental imbalances. The study proposes a comprehensive governance model to improve stakeholder coordination and integrate climate adaptation and catastrophe risk reduction into policy frameworks to ensure that tourism growth in Labuan Bajo supports economic viability and environmental resilience.