Indonesia has postponed its rule of imposing entry fee for Komodo Island, which is famed for being home to the giant lizards known as Komodo dragons. This move comes in the wake of a strike by tourism operators.
As per the latest reports, the annual membership fee of 3.75 million rupiah ($252) will be imposed from January 2023 instead. This was recently announced by Gusti Hendriyani, spokesperson for the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry. She added that the postponement is in line with public aspirations.
Indonesia Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno added that the strike was called off after a meeting was held between the local government officials and protesters.Reports have it that when the authorities imposed the new fee, tourism operators and workers in Labuan Bajo, the town on Flores island where most visitors to Komodo stay, declared a one-month strike.
Earlier, domestic visitors were charged $5 per entry, whereas foreigners were required to pay $10, but no single-entry option was offered under the new pricing.
If reports are to go by, the government is aiming to limit visitors as part of conservation efforts: however, tourism operators had called for the old price structure to be restored, stating that the new fee system was hampering their business as many prospective tourists were cancelling their bookings.
Komodo Island is a popular tourist spot in Indonesia, which is home to more than 5000 rare giant lizards, and has been listed by National Geographic as one of the world’s top 10 destinations.
Reportedly, as the island attracted more than 10000 visitors per month, the government initially planned to limit access to Komodo island in 2018.
Also, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stated last year that the island is increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change.
Source: .indiatimes
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