Aceh Disaster Impact, Tourist Flow to Sabang Drops 40 Percent

The beauty of Sabang Island. (Photo: Zulmahmudi/VOI)

BANDA ACEH - The flash flood and landslide disaster that occurred in Aceh dealt a major blow to the tourism sector. The number of passengers for marine tourism destinations to Sabang, Aceh from the Ulee Lheue Banda Aceh Ferry Port recorded a decline during the Christmas 2025 and New Year 2026 holidays.

"The number of passengers to Sabang has an average daily decline of 40 percent compared to Christmas and the previous year," said Head of the UPTD Sub-Port of Ulee Lheue Banda Aceh Husaini in Banda Aceh, reported by ANTARA, Thursday, January 1.

According to him, the decrease in passenger numbers to Sabang welcoming Christmas and New Year holidays is because the westernmost province of Indonesia is being hit by a disaster, so many access are cut off, especially land routes.

"The flood disaster caused the land route to be not normal (the cause of passengers) to Sabang to decrease," he said.

Unlike the previous year (end of 2024) or before the Christmas and New Year holidays in 2025, the number of passengers to Sabang from the Ulee Lheue port of Banda Aceh ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 people per day.

Husaini said that in recent days the number of passengers to Sabang has not reached half compared to the previous year, namely on December 28, 2025 only 2,781 people, while the same time in 2024 reached 4,219 people.

Then, on December 29, 2025, around 2,331 passengers, the previous year 4,389 people, and December 30, 2025, only 2,023 people, while previously 3,400 passengers.

"The percentage of passenger decline this year compared to 2024, on December 28 was 34 percent, December 29 was 47 percent and December 30 was 41 percent," said Husaini.

On the other hand, he added, for the departure of the ship there was no change from the previous year, or still with the same number of routes, both slow ships (Ferry-RoRo) and fast ships.

"For slow ships, namely three Ferry RoRo, and four fast Express Bahari ships. The route is still three trips," said Husaini.