UNAIR NEWS – The discourse on increasing the price of Komodo National Park tickets needs to be thoughtfully considered by the government. The statement was made by UNAIR Tourism expert Novianto Edi Suharno SST PAR MS to UNAIR NEWS on Friday, July 1, 2022.
Anto said that considering the worth of the ticket price is subjective; it depends on each individual. As the increasing ticket price is an effort to conserve Komodo National Park, several islands, and the tourist destinations around the national park.
“As far as I’m concerned, it is used to cover the conservation cost for some islands. So, we do not only visit the island where Komodo live, but also the surrounding islands. Speaking about worth it or not, it depends on the individual,” he said.
More than just tourism purpose
People visit the Komodo National Park for various purposes, some of them are for tourism, research, or business. Generally, tourists will visit Komodo National Park for two to three hours in one spot on the island. The million ticket prices are unreasonable or not worth it to apply.
“Wise action needs to be done. To date, there must be a firm statement from the local government or Ministry of Tourism to prevent the turmoil on the increasing ticket price.”
Social media do not support tourism recovery
Though the fee is used to cover the conservation cost, Anto regretted that social media do not quite support the recovery process of Komodo National Park or national tourism recovery. People will be discouraged to visit due to the rising price.
“Such a shame that when tourism started to rise, there were issues like this on social media,” he said.
Therefore, decisive information, such as the rising ticket price of Borobudur Temple, should be released by the government. It will avoid misinterpretation among people around Komodo National Park, local government, and tourists.
“I suggest the government set visitor limit to conserve Komodo and the surrounding islands. Especially with the development of technology, reservations can be made online. Every day there will be a predetermined number of visits, and I think it is wiser,” Anto suggested.
Author: Ananda Wildhan Wahyu Pratama
Editor: Feri Fenoria Rifai
