Reduce Pressure on Ecology, Komodo National Park Limits Tourist Visits

Kupang: The Komodo National Park Agency (BTNK) in West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has established a new regulation limiting the tourist visit quota to 1,000 visitors per day to protect the local ecosystem.

"This regulation has been in effect since April 1, 2026, and is already underway," the Coordinator of Public Relations, Cooperation, and Licensing Services for the Komodo National Park, Maria Rosdalima Panggur, confirmed on Tuesday.

She explained that such a regulation is intended to reduce significant pressure on the ecology of the national park.

The high number of tourists visiting the area each year is considered to put excessive pressure on the environment, Maria continued.

BTNK recorded that tourist visits reached 429,509 visitors in 2025 with 68 percent of that total consisting of international tourists.

According to her, this number has exceeded the annual tourism carrying capacity of the entire region according to a 2022 study. The study previously set the carrying capacity for both land and water areas at 378,870 visitors per year.

This total number is the cumulative value of the tourism capacity for the main islands and surrounding water areas. Maria outlined that the carrying capacity for Komodo Island was 187,245 people while Rinca Island was 44,165 and Padar Island was 17,885.

Meanwhile, the carrying capacity for marine tourism across 23 dive sites was recorded at 116,813 visitors per site.

"The increase in the number of visits has brought a significant impact on the regional economy but has also put pressure on the ecology," she stated, as quoted by Antara.
 
She noted that high intensity human activity can cause demographic changes and a decrease in alert response behavior in Komodo dragons.
Panggur addressed the fact that coral reef conditions in the waters are declining due to the rapid surge of visitors without adequate management.

The agency expects tourist visits in 2026 to remain at the same level as 2025 despite the implementation of the new visitation regulations. During the trial period, the agency suggested that cruise ship quota allocations should be separated from regular tourism allocations.

"We will continue to monitor the impact of this new policy on the ecology and management of Komodo National Park," Panggur conveyed.