Four tourists from Bali almost missed their trip to Komodo because of an issue with the boat payment. They spent around two hours at Marina Labuan Bajo port while the police and port services tried to reach their travel agent.
The incident happened in Labuan Bajo, the main port for trips to Komodo National Park. Representatives of the Arham Jaya 02 boat contacted the police because the Quanty Tour agency had not paid the full amount for the boat for four tourists from Bali. According to the crew, the money should have been received before the boat set sail.
The vessel’s manager, Angga Permana, said he had been unable to contact Quanty Tour’s representative, Andre Faysal, for a long time. The tourists also tried to call the agent but got no response. As a result, the departure for Komodo was delayed.
The crew refused to go out to sea without payment. Tourist police officers, as well as port and maritime administration representatives, had to step in.
I Komang Agus Budiawan, head of the police unit responsible for guarding strategic facilities, said the issue was resolved through negotiations. According to him, the dispute arose due to a misunderstanding between the agency and the boat owners. After the talks, Quanty Tour representatives came to the port and paid the outstanding balance in full. Only then were the tourists able to leave for Komodo National Park.
One of the passengers, I Komang Raynal Dewangga Alfreda, admitted that he and his friends had almost started to believe they were victims of scammers. He said that without the intervention of the police and port staff, the situation could have ended very differently.
After the incident, the police issued a separate reminder to travel agencies in Labuan Bajo about transparent payments and their responsibility towards tourists. The authorities also said they would continue monitoring how companies operate at the port to prevent similar cases in the future.
This is another reminder that, before travelling, it’s worth choosing travel agents carefully and checking who is responsible for bookings and payments. MyBaliTrips organises hassle-free trips around Indonesia, including to Komodo.
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