Komodo Island, renowned for its stunning nature and endemic Komodo dragons, is one of Indonesia's top tourist destinations, second only to Bali. Authorities have long sought ways to limit the number of tourists visiting the island, including proposals to significantly increase park entrance fees.
Now, the management of Komodo National Park (BTNK) plans to regularly close the park on certain days of the week to preserve the unique local environment and redirect tourists to other attractions in the region. This new policy is expected to take effect at the beginning of 2025.
Frans Teguh, head of the Department for Development and Environmental Protection at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, supports this plan. "Temporary closures are common in many national parks. The process of recovery and regeneration is necessary for the ecosystem to maintain its natural balance," he said.
"This is currently a temporary measure; the park may be closed one day a week or one day every two weeks, depending on conservation policies and the considerations of the national park management," he added.
Previously, Hendrikus Siga, the head of Komodo National Park, announced plans to regularly close Komodo National Park in Labuan Bajo on certain days. "If the closure is implemented, it will help preserve the park's natural resources. We will conduct public consultations and scientific studies related to this plan," said Hendrikus.
Each year, Komodo National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world. The regular closure is expected to also increase visits to other tourist spots in West Manggarai Regency. "We don't want all the tourists to be concentrated in the national park. If we close the park for just one day, tourists can visit Labuan Bajo in Flores, for example. This will also extend the tourists' stay in the province," he said.
He also noted that it is difficult to control the number of tourists visiting Komodo National Park because there are no such restrictions in the region. A previous study indicated that the number of travelers visiting Komodo National Park should be limited to a maximum of 219,000 per year due to the impact of large crowds on the behavior of Komodo dragons and the condition of the environment.
However, the residents of Komodo Island are against the plan to close the island to visitors. Most of the population is involved in the tourism sector; they work as guides, sell souvenirs, and transport travelers. "This will have significant consequences. The residents of Komodo mainly earn their living from tourism to meet their daily needs," said the head of Komodo village, Haji Aksan.
He added that the residents of Komodo Island felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic when no tourists visited. During the pandemic, the population tried to turn to fishing, but it did not yield substantial results. One resident, Ismail, even stated that the people of Komodo are ready to take action against such measures, although he did not specify what they plan to do.
For now, the island remains fully open to visitors. Tours on boats that spend several days traveling around the islands in the region, visiting various natural and tourist attractions, are popular. These include the unique pink sand beach, beautiful snorkeling and diving spots, and stunning natural corners. For example, MyBaliTrips offers such journeys.
You can add one right now!