Tour operators are feeling uneasy with talk of Menjangan National Park’s admission for foreigners to double from Rp 200k to Rp 400k, for fear of reduced visits to the park.
Menjangan Island is an uninhabited island located in West Bali that is well known for its diving spots.
“Last time, when the price increased from Rp 20k to Rp 200k, (visits) became markedly reduced. Now, more guests will instead turn to Tulamben after tickets here go up,” Nyoman Suntara, a local tour guide told Tribun Bali on Friday.
Even worse, according to Suntara, the supposed planned increase in ticket prices is not matched by an improvement in facilities at Menjangan Island—the dock has been in a state of disrepair for years and toilets are not available on the island, according to the guide.
Moreover, tickets apparently go up 150 percent on weekends and tanggal merah (national public holidays), says Pejarakan Village Tourism and Fishing Group Chairman, Nyoman Sandi.
He continued that the price raise was enacted through a decree by the Ministry of Forestry in April.
A reduced number of tourists, however, is not seen by Sandi as a bad thing as less visitors means less stress on the natural environment, he explained.
To flip this whole thing on its head though, Tribun Bali also quoted the head of TNBB (West Bali National Park) as denying a price raise for admission, so it’s not totally clear what’s going to happen with entrance fees—seems like a typical situation of the left hand not knowing what the right hand does!
“There is not an increase in ticket prices from Rp 200k to Rp 400k for foreigners,” TNBB Head Tedi Sutedi told Tribun.
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