Agusta Kalang, one of the business owners leading the movement, stated that tourist numbers have sharply declined since the government introduced a daily limit of 1,200 visitors allowed to climb the temple to preserve its structure.
ocal businesses at Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple in Magelang, Central Java, have demanded that the government revoke the daily visitor limit at the popular tourist site, arguing that the policy has severely impacted their income.
In the past few days, a group of business owners at the Borobudur complex installed banners around the temple's courtyard expressing their demand.
Agusta Kalang, one of the business owners leading the movement, stated that tourist numbers have sharply declined since the government introduced a daily limit of 1,200 visitors allowed to climb the temple to preserve its structure.
"There are many local residents whose livelihoods depend on Borobudur tourists, including souvenir vendors, restaurant owners, parking attendants and homestay operators. All of them have been negatively impacted by this policy," he said on Tuesday, as reported by Kompas.
Agusta, who owns a homestay, said that occupancy rates at accommodations around the temple had plummeted by 80 percent since the visitor limit was implemented in 2023.
UNESCO regards Borobudur as one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world and designated it as a World Heritage site in 1991.
Since 2003, the Borobudur Conservation Center has conducted research on the impact of tourism on the ancient structure.
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