USAID-Backed Plan to Turn Dili Port into a Tourism Hub

Update, October 2026: The plans for the site have since changed. In September 2025 the government presented a proposal to turn the old port into an international convention centre with a pier promenade, aquarium and shops, and the foundation stone for the convention centre in the old port precinct was laid on 20 May 2026.

What was announced (August 2021)

Timor-Leste’s Council of Ministers approved a plan to redevelop the commercial port in central Dili as a waterfront tourism hub once cargo operations moved to the new port at Tibar. USAID’s Tourism For All project had spent about two years helping the government, the port authority and technical experts prepare the proposal.

Key points of the plan:

Cost and model: a project worth more than US$50 million, to be delivered as a public-private partnership
Marine facilities: berths for cruise ships, yachts, whale-watching and dive boats, a terminal for local ferries, and a marina for small and medium vessels
Passenger area: immigration, customs and passenger processing, reached by a pedestrian bridge, plus parking
Visitor facilities: boutique hotels, restaurants, cafés, craft shops, a tourism information centre and booking space for tour and dive companies
Public space: pedestrian areas, room for cultural performances and exhibitions, and public gardens, with some housing and shops
Climate resilience: the whole waterfront to be raised by one metre against storm surge and flooding

Transport and Telecommunications Minister José Agustinho da Silva said the project would help diversify the economy away from petroleum. Further technical work, including a feasibility study, was planned before an international tender expected in 2023.

USAID-Backed Plan to Turn Dili Port into a Tourism Hub

What was announced (August 2021)

Further reading

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