TEMPO.CO, Kupang - Komodo National Park (TNK) Authority plans to limit the number of visitors to tourism destinations inhabited by Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) in 2018.
"Limiting the number of visitors will be implemented for each destination site both on land and diving site," Komodo National Park head Sudiyono said in Kupang on Saturday, Jan. 20.
He claimed that the restriction of international and domestic tourists is intended to minimize the impact of ecotourism on the nature in TNK area, considering the ever-abundant number of visitors over time.
Read: Komodo Dragon Population Reaches 3,012 in Komodo National Park
and: Tourist Arrival Increased, Visitors Can be Targeted by Komodo
Komodo National Park recorded that the number of tourists in 2017 reached 119,599 or it went up 11.04 percent compared to that of 2016 with 107,711 people.
The high number of tourists, he went on, poses a potential impact on the condition of the environment and the survival of Komodo dragons as one of the new seven wonders of the world.
For that purpose, Sudiyono continued, limiting the number of visitors will result in an increase in ticket prices to the site.
ANTARA
