Luhut Pandjaitan: We Must 'sell' Komodo Island, People Who Come Must Pay Dearly!

Komodo. (Foto: Guillaume Marques / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said tourism in the Komodo National Park (TNK), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has potential and has high selling value. Therefore, the government will continue to promote the tourism project.

"Because I think the island of Komodo is the only one in the world, so we have to sell it," he said, at the National Coordination Meeting for the Acceleration of the Development of Five Super Priority Tourism Destinations (DPSP) virtually, Friday, November 27.

The purpose of selling what Luhut conveyed was to make Komodo Island a premium or high-class tourist destination. Currently, the government is still considering which islands to build first-class facilities there.

"Later we will decide which islands have a lot (tourists), massive tourists and which islands make six stars. If people want to come there, they have to pay dearly," he said.

Luhut admitted that this project is commercial in nature. However, he emphasized, the main goal is to provide care for these rare animals.

"We have to be commercial because we want to take care of this animal because in order for this animal to have DNA, we can keep it," he said.

Even so, Luhut emphasized that the development of these tourist destinations will still consider the preservation of nature, especially Komodo itself. Therefore, he rejected the opinion of a number of people who considered that the Komodo Tourism development did not take care of the Komodo habitat.

"Because people do not like it or, frankly, underestimate us. When the governor's decision was consolidated, it was considered that we did not take care of it, instead we took care of the point," he said.

Luhut also advised the NTT Governor to appoint a global consultant who has experience managing premium tourism to manage Komodo Island tourism. Later, the government will provide premium tourism in the area.

My advice, Mr. Governor, is up to the people who are experts in the world managing premium tourism like this. So managing Rinca Island, Komodo Island is up to you, maybe the Governor and the team will know better, "he said.

In the development of tourism in Komodo Island, the Coordinating Ministry for Marves will hold an integrated meeting with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kemenparekraf, local governments and the Labuan Bajo authorities.

"We sit down, we formulate and we revise the proposal at the same time. I ask my friends to look at the Presidential Decree, what else we made to cover everything. So that the world doesn't think we are like what," he said.