Wae Rebo Becomes the Second Most Beautiful Small Village in the World

Nusa Tenggara – Wae Rebo, a hidden gem beautifiul village in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It has named as the second most beautiful small village in the world.

The East Nusa Tenggara Tourism Office stated that an international survey institution named The Spectator Index crowned the Wae Rebo Traditional Village in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, as the second most beautiful village in the world in 2024, following Rothenburg Ob der Tauber in Germany.

"We, the people of East Nusa Tenggara, should be proud because the Wae Rebo Traditional Village has been named as the second most beautiful village in the world," said the Acting Head of the East Nusa Tenggara Tourism Office, Joni Lie Rohi, in Kupang on Wednesday.

He stated this after the institution released the results of their survey on several villages or small towns in the world that have stunning natural and cultural beauty.

Joni added that the people of East Nusa Tenggara should also be proud because out of all the tourist areas in Indonesia, only the Wae Rebo Village in Manggarai Regency is being noticed or looked at.

Wae Rebo is a village located at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level and surrounded by mountains. The estimated population residing in the area is only around 1,200 people, and the village consists of seven cone-shaped traditional houses, which are its main attraction.

As information, Wae Rebo was also designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2021.

The Head of Tourism stated that it must be acknowledged that several tourism potentials in East Nusa Tenggara have been noticed by the world, the latest being Sumba Island, which was designated as the most beautiful island in the world.

"This time it's Wae Rebo. It means we have attractions to attract tourists to visit, and of course, this means being increasingly recognized by the world," he added.

According to him, the success of Wae Rebo and Sumba Island as two of the most beautiful locations in the world is due to the concept of sustainable tourism development in East Nusa Tenggara related to Community-Based Tourism to build tourism for the future.

He added that what needs to be encouraged now is more towards the quality of tourism services so that tourists who come can have an interesting experience and can continue to visit.

Furthermore, he hopes that what Wae Rebo has achieved should serve as a reference for other tourist areas in East Nusa Tenggara to continue developing their tourism concepts to become more recognized as well.