Marsel Agot criticized the government’s decision to impose a new pricing plan that goes against the interests of the local community. At least 100 tourists canceled the visit. The Ministry of Tourism says it wants to preserve the National Park.
Jakarta () – Starting today, the ticket to visit the islands of Komodo and Padar will cost 3.75 million Indonesian rupiahs (225 dollars). Father Marsel Agot opposes the and last week he sent a letter to the Ministry of Tourism to express his concern about the opaque process that the authorities have followed. “The government has never involved us as residents and local players in the tourism industry,” the priest explained to yesterday.
He also noted that “West Manggarai district has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the decision to increase the entrance fee to Padar Island and Loh Liang will only result in undermining our efforts to revive tourism.” local”.
The two atolls are located within the Komodo National Park, in the Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara province. On these islands live the famous monitor lizards or Komodo dragons, the large poisonous lizards native to this region that attract tourists from all over the world.
The government explained that the decision to increase the entrance fee was taken to reduce the number of tourists and protect the environment: “We have decided to limit visitors to a maximum of 200,000 people per year,” said Caroline Noge, of the Ministry of Tourism.
According to a local agency, at least 100 tourists (foreign and local) have canceled their visit after the price increase. Last week, President Joko Widodo responded to the criticism by saying that “the monitor lizard on Rinca and the one on the Komodo Islands are the same. To see the animals you can visit Rinca Island if you don’t want to go to Komodo or Padar.”
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