Indonesia halts plans to close Komodo Island - TravelMole


Indonesia halts plans to close Komodo Island

Tuesday, 01 Oct, 2019 0

It looks like the dragons of Komodo Island will continue welcoming wide-eyed tourists.

There have been months of speculation about a possible one-year closure of the island but now the government has pledged to keep it open.

"Komodo Island will not be closed. We will rearrange the island, in collaboration with the local government and related institutions," said coordinating maritime affairs minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

However, there will be a strict carrying capacity and restrictions on numbers, with a new ticketing system rolling out.

The decision was made after discussions with various ministries, environmental and local agencies.

Contrary to reports of a dwindling dragon population due to tourism, the numbers are relaitively stable.

Government data says there are 1,727 Komodo dragons on the island.

Dragons are also found on a handful of neighbouring islands including Rinca.

Central government funds of about US$7 million will be spent on rehabilitation of Komodo Island which will include the construction of a Komodo Research Center.

Although it will stay open, Komodo Island could still become the preserve of tourists with deep pockets only.

There has been a suggestion it will become a ‘premium’ daytrip destination with sky-high prices to match.

 

 



 

profileimage

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.



Most Read

Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026

Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange

North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism

Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns

James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel

Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination

Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics

Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy

Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene

Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee

Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail

Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
TRAINING & COMPETITION

Our emails to you has bounced travelmole.com Or You can change your email from your profile Setting Section

Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. Please enable your cookie for TravelMole.com so this dialog box will not come up again.

Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari