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‘Don’t sell it cheap’: Komodo Island targeted at ‘premium’ tourists
To keep up with the influx of tourists into one of the “new Balis” of Indonesia while still maintaining conservation standards, the government has decided to make KomodoIsland an “exclusive” destination with “premium” pricing for access, the proceeds of which will be used for conservation and community development programs.
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Komodos on Rinca Island, Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, in this 2018 photo. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
The next time you visit Komodo Island in the Komodo National Park you might be shocked by the admission fee.
After all the talk about closing down the park for conservation reasons, the government has come up with a plan that will be keenly watched by the thousands of inhabitants of the island, who have for generations lived alongside 2,897 Komodo dragons and who are financially dependent on tourism-related businesses.
Closing down Komodo would have gone against the government’s tourism agenda, as the island is a two-hour boat ride from Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), one of the government’s five “super priority” tourist destinations. Around 176,000 tourists visited Komodo Island in 2018, three-quarters of whom were foreigners, a fourfold increase from 2010.
To keep up with the influx of tourists into one of the “new Balis” of Indonesia while still maintaining conservation standards, the government has decided to make KomodoIsland an “exclusive” destination with “premium” pricing for access, the proceeds of which will be used for conservation and community development programs.
“Komodo Island will not be closed. We will manage it with the central government and regional administration and other stakeholders, so there will be regulations on limitations of tourist numbers to Komodo Island through ticketing,” said Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan on Monday.
The statement was made after a coordination meeting with the Environment and Forestry Ministry, which is responsible for managing national parks such as Komodo, the Tourism Ministry and NTT Governor Viktor Laiskodat at the coordinating minister’s office in Jakarta.
“[Non-premium visitors] will be directed to smaller islands such as Rinca Island. They may only go there,” said Luhut, adding that the restructuring plans would include route directories and logistics such as procurement for cruise ships and waste management.
