Tourists to be banned from Indonesia’s famous Komodo island
Komodo island in Indonesia will close to tourists in January 2020 to allow the habitat to replenish and to ensure there is sufficient live food stocks for the island’s famous flesh-eating lizards.
The East Nusa Tenggara provincial government said the National Park management wants to return the island to its usual wild condition and keep it as natural as possible whilst providing the necessary infrastructure for visitors.
Its indigenous lizards, the Komodo dragons, are amongst the world’s most iconic mammals but only found on a handful of tiny islands in the Komodo National Park.
Other islands including Rinca and Padar will remain open, local news outlet Tempo reports.
As Komodo receives the most tour groups, it is still unclear how the decision to close the island will hit visitor numbers to the region.
Local authorities have been mulling closing the island for the past couple of years due to the unchecked increase in visitors, which has started to impact the local habitat. The final straw was the recent arrest of smugglers who allegedly stole 41 Komodo dragons.
It is claimed they sold them to international buyers for $35,000 for each dragon.
There are about 5,700 dragons living in the wild according to UNESCO, all of them within the National Park.
The region welcomes about 150,000 visitors every year.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025