New TN Komodo Ticket Price Suspended

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said during a meeting on Monday (8/8/2022) at the State Palace in Jakarta that President Joko Widodo had approved postponing the new ticket price to TN Komodo

KOMPAS/PRADIPTA PANDU

A Komodo dragon walks along the coast on Komodo Island, Komodo National Park Area, East Nusa Tenggara, Thursday (28/7/2022).

The government has postponed applying the new ticket price to Komodo National Park until 1 Jan. 2023, after considering the people’s aspirations.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government has delayed applying the new admission price to Komodo National Park (TN Komodo) until 1 Jan. 2023. The five-month delay is to be spent on public dissemination and improving government communication on the plan to apply the new price to the park in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said during a meeting on Monday (8/8/2022) at the State Palace in Jakarta that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had approved postponing the new ticket price to TN Komodo.

Applying the new admission price of Rp 3.75 million per person would be postponed until 1 Jan. 2023. “Actually, we had already received the instruction from Pak [Mr.] Jokowi earlier and coordinated [on this]. The [postponement] is in keeping with the President’s instruction,” Sandiaga said in response to reporters’ questions.

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According to Sandiaga, the five-month delay would be used to consider the people’s aspirations and hold better dialogue and communication.

“But over the next few months, we will prepare through transparent, accountable, responsible, and fair communication. We want to accommodate all aspirations of the public as a whole,” he added.

The new admission price to TN Komodo was previously made effective as of Monday (1/8), although it had no legal basis in a regulation. The NTT provincial administration later announced the postponement of applying the planned hike to the admission price, which aimed to support conservation of the Komodo dragon.

“After monitoring many discussions, accommodating aspirations and consulting stakeholders, finally holding a dialogue and arranging coordination, which I also reported to the President, eventually the NTT provincial administration announced the delay,” said Sandiaga.

KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno

The five months prior to applying the new price next January was deemed sufficient to familiarize the new admission price.

“We will do it quickly, we have formed a forum and started early this week, as directed by the President. We will improve government communication, absorb aspirations, [and] monitor the situation, especially regarding delays and cancellations to [visitor] arrival,” the minister added.

Sandiaga affirmed that the public’s voice would be handled and absorbed transparently. The government would continue to direct and maintain Indonesia’s tourism index, which was highly regarded in the world. Indonesia’s tourism sector had proven its potential of creating up to 1.1 million new jobs.

In Sandiaga’s view, postponing the new admission price created the right occasion to improve government communication.

“This postponement is therefore expected to provide better understanding of the benefits of contributing to conservation [efforts], so TN Komodo can ensure quality and sustainable tourism,” he stressed.

On the same occasion, Sandiaga also expressed his gratitude to the people for expressing their aspirations. “We have accommodated [these] and made a decision. Hopefully, future tourism services that focus on sustainability, conservation and the economy as directed by the President can be realized together,” he added.

Sandiaga also asserted that the government would study the impacts of the price hike on micro, small and medium enterprises as well as the economy. The higher price was also expected to increase the incomes of nearby communities.

We expect these to later increase the community’s income and that we can realize the conservation and economic aspects at the same time.

“To avoid a significant decrease [in income], we have taken note of the potential benefits to the local community through an increased income, because the airport has been built, tourism and creative economic facilities have been prepared. We expect these to later increase the community’s income and that we can realize the conservation and economic aspects at the same time,” he said.

Ongoing opposition

Meanwhile, tourism businesses in Labuan Bajo continued to oppose the plan to apply a new admission price to TN Komodo, even though it had been postponed until 1 Jan. 2023.

Evodius Konsomar, who chairs the West Manggarai branch of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita), said on Monday when contacted in Labuan Bajo that Asita West Manggarai would continue to oppose the policy, as the new admission price would ruin local businesses.

“Even if the government has postponed the [new] TN Komodo entrance fee of Rp 3.75 million per person until 1 Jan. 2023, we still oppose it," he said.

Evodius also questioned the park’s management by province-owned PT Flobamora after the new fee was applied. The company had no experience in managing conservation of Komodo or an underwater park. “The policy is a form of monopolizing TN Komodo management disguised as conservation," he noted.

Earlier, in protest of the planned new entrance fee to TN Komodo, Evodius said around 500 Labuan Bajo tourism businesses had started promoting the 17 Riung Islands Marine Tourism Park (TWAL) in Ngada regency, located 100 kilometers from Labuan Bajo.

According to Evodius, information about the new TN Komodo admission price had cause a number of tourists to cancel their visits. When the new price came into force on

1 Aug., 10 travel agencies in Labuan Bajo had paid around Rp 114 million in reimbursements to tourists who had planned to visit the region.

KORNELIS KEWA AMA

East Nusa Tenggara Timur Governor Viktor Laiskodat.

Separately, NTT Tourism Office head Zeth Sony Libing said that President Joko Widodo and NTT Governor Viktor Laiskodat had listened to public aspirations, especially from tourism businesses in Labuan Bajo, religious leaders and community figures. The government will use the five-month interval to familiarize the new admission price to all parties, including tourism activists in Labuan Bajo. Zeth also denied the existence of a monopoly in TN Komodo management.

“It’s not true that there’s monopoly in TN Komodo management. Everything conforms to the agreement between all parties,” he said. (WKM/KOR)

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)