Tourism and infrastructure
Visitor numbers on Sumba are small and air traffic has fallen since 2018. Airport upgrades are planned, but most have no fixed date.
- East Sumba recorded 41,524 visitors in 2025: 36,242 domestic and 5,282 foreign. That is slightly fewer than the 41,812 recorded in 2024 (Disparbud Sumba Timur via Kumparan, January 2026). These are regency tourism office figures, not BPS figures.
- The 2022 government master plan counted 31,263 visitors to the whole island in 2021, during the pandemic. Its own regency breakdown adds up to 31,363, so treat the total with care (Bappenas, 2022).
- Tambolaka airport was renamed Lede Kalumbang Airport on 7 November 2022. Passengers peaked at 294,984 in 2018 and were 165,416 in 2024, down 5.28% on 2023 (Wikipedia).
- Lede Kalumbang has a 2,300 m runway. An extension to 2,500 m is planned with no timeline. A new taxiway, a larger apron for six Airbus A320s and a bigger terminal are scheduled to start in 2027 (Wikipedia).
- Waingapu's Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport opened a new 5,600 m2 terminal in 2023, funded with IDR 68.3 billion from the 2022 state budget. Its 1,950 m runway takes aircraft up to about a Boeing 737-500 (Wikipedia; Times Indonesia, 2023).
- Waingapu airport handled 58,819 passengers in 2024, down 29.27% on 2023 (Wikipedia).
- The master plan projects 427,391 passengers at Tambolaka and 286,995 at Waingapu for 2024, rising to about 1 million and 627,024 by 2042. These are planning targets, not results (Bappenas, 2022).
- The same plan lists a new 1,000-person passenger terminal at Waingapu port and feeder ports at Baing, Gonggi and Salura Island, without completion dates (Bappenas, 2022).
Sources: kumparan.com, komens.bappenas.go.id, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, timesindonesia.co.id
Checked 2026-11-08. Not legal or financial advice.
More guides
Visas and residence permits
Indonesia has several long-stay permits for foreigners who want to live on Sumba. They differ in who qualifies, how much money you must show and whether you may work.
Opening a bank account
A personal account is much easier to open once you hold a KITAS. A company account for a PT PMA needs the company's full set of papers and, in most banks, the director in person.
Sending money to buy property
Large payments for property usually go by bank transfer and are paid in rupiah inside Indonesia. Banks report cross-border transfers, and cash over IDR 100 million must be declared at the border.
Annual property tax and running costs
The yearly land and building tax (PBB-P2) is set and collected by each regency, within a national cap of 0.5%. A foreign-owned company also has recurring reporting duties.
Building permits: PBG and SLF
Before you build you need a zoning approval and a building approval (PBG), and before anyone moves in or rents the building you need a certificate of fitness (SLF).
Solar, water and internet
Sumba has long, dry seasons and patchy grid power and mobile data. Many owners plan for their own solar, water storage and satellite internet.