One amazing experience in Indonesia is seeing the country’s famed (and rare) Komodo dragons. However, in an effort to preserve the habitat of the world’s largest lizards, ticket prices have been hiked to a hefty $250. After already losing out on earnings during the pandemic, tourism workers are on strike over the price hike.

Indonesian tourism workers strike over ticket hike

Tuesday saw the start of a strike by tourism workers in Indonesia over the government’s decision to hike ticket prices to see the iconic Komodo dragons. While the government insists the increase is to protect the habitat of one of the world’s largest lizards, workers aren’t having any of it.

While obviously, it is good to preserve the Komodo dragons’ habitat, the ticket price increase does seem excessive. In fact, the fee to access two of the main islands in the Komodo National Park shot up 18 times in one foul swoop. To get an idea, with the price hike, tickets increased to 3.75 million rupiahs (US$252) on August 1. Meanwhile, local tourism workers say such a hike in the price will scare off tourists, leaving them without income.

About Komodo dragons

Indonesia currently hosts around 3,300 rare Komodo dragons. Meanwhile, these mighty lizards can grow up to 10 ft (3 m) in length. They can kill large prey with just one venomous bite. As the large lizards are so rare, it has been a popular activity for tourists in Indonesia to see them in their natural habitat.

CNN Travel quotes Leo Embo, an Indonesian tour guide, who belongs to one of the 24 local workers’ associations in the country currently on strike. He said this has caused uncertainty among tourism workers, adding:

We decided to go on strike even when we’re suffering from a loss here… this might as well be suicide.

Strike over Komodo dragon ticket price in Indonesia

Footage was aired on KompasTV on Tuesday showing a standoff between police and demonstrators. According to local media, many of the demonstrators were arrested in the protest.

Meanwhile, Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia’s tourism minister, urged the workers to hold talks with the government.

Drop in tourist numbers

The two islands in Komodo National Park are located in East Nusa Tenggara Province and form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Prior to 2019, the park attracted around 222,000 visitors annually, but then the pandemic struck. Since then, visitor figures have dropped to around a quarter of that, to the detriment of local, tourism-dependent businesses.

This isn’t the first time that Indonesia has caused controversy while generating revenue from the Komodo dragons. One particular image of a Komodo dragon facing off with a construction vehicle went viral on social media in 2020.

Now, hiking ticket prices 18 times will likely make visitors think twice before heading out to see the giant lizards.

However, Komodo National Park isn’t the only destination in the world imposing a “tourist tax” to protect against overtourism. Bhutan recently hiked its daily visiting fee from $65 to a whopping $200, also citing loss of income during the pandemic.

Venice is another example, as the city will introduce a $10 (€10) entry fee for daytrippers visiting the iconic city. This scheme comes into effect on January 16, 2023. Previously, the Italian city banned large cruise ships from mooring in the lagoon.