Indonesian Tourism Workers Strike over Komodo Park Price Hike

Also read: Naturalist Guide Hospitalized After Being Attacked by Komodo Dragon in Indonesia’s National Park

Tour organizer Samin told AFP those refusing to join the strike had been threatened with “social sanctions”.

One tourism association threatened to burn down businesses that remained open.

Locals said the drastic price hike would deter tourists with a limited budget from visiting the national park, which was almost deserted at the peak of the pandemic.

“We are slowly recovering, if people cancel their reservations, we will fall apart again,” Matheus Siagian, a hotel and restaurant owner told AFP.

“Please let us heal first.”

Komodo dragons are found only in the national park and neighboring Flores island, and just 3,458 adult and baby Komodo dragons are left in the wild, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Source: Agence France-Presse