Komodo Park Patrol Finds Tourists in Restricted Zone During Temporary Tourism Closure
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- Authorities in Komodo National Park detained 16 foreign tourists and three guides after they were found in a non-tourism zone on Rinca Island, officials said.
- The park agency said the group allegedly entered without tickets and traveled during a temporary suspension of tourism services due to a boat-sailing closure.
- HPI West Manggarai said it had no internal report on the incident and believed the guides were not members, while urging licensed guides to follow SOPs and safety rules during the rainy season.
Twelve officials from the Indonesian Tour Guide Association (HPI) in West Manggarai have responded to the detention of 16 foreign tourists accused of engaging in illegal tourism activities inside Komodo National Park (TNK) in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, saying the guides accompanying the group were not part of their local chapter.
The chair of HPI’s West Manggarai branch (DPC), Aloysius Suhartim Karya, said the organization had not yet received complete information about the case. However, he said he believed the three tour guides who joined the group were not registered members of HPI West Manggarai.
“There has been no internal report within our management regarding the incident. It seems they are not members of HPI West Manggarai,” Aloysius said on Wednesday (Feb. 4, 2026), as quoted by detikBali.
Aloysius said HPI was proud of broad public participation in developing Labuan Bajo’s tourism industry, which he said reflected strong interest in tourism services in the destination.
“However, we certainly have an obligation to protect Labuan Bajo’s image and keep it positive,” he said.
Aloysius explained that a guide’s role is to accompany visitors and interpret the natural heritage, history and culture of the places they visit. He emphasized that professional tour guides carry specific qualifications that are typically recognized and issued by the relevant local authorities.
“In the context of guiding in West Manggarai, guides must have a tourism guiding license and a Tour Guide Identification Card (KTPP) issued by the local government through the relevant technical unit under the West Manggarai Tourism Office,” he said.
He urged officially registered guides in West Manggarai to apply standard operating procedures and adhere to the tour guide code of ethics whenever they provide guiding services.
“Especially during the rainy season like now, [guides should] always follow policies set by the authorities to avoid danger,” he said.
Earlier, patrol officers from the Komodo National Park Agency (BTNK), together with personnel from the Water and Air Police Unit (Satpolairud) of the West Manggarai Police, detained 16 foreign tourists for allegedly conducting illegal tourism activities inside Komodo National Park. The foreign tourists were accompanied by three tour guides.
“The number of tourists involved in the activity was 16 foreign nationals, accompanied by tour guides with the initials AJ, GF and YS,” BTNK head Hendrikus Rani Siga, also known as Hengki, said in a written statement on Tuesday night (Feb. 3).
Hengki said the incident took place on Monday (Feb. 2). The joint patrol team found the group in a zone on Rinca Island that is not designated for tourism activities.
He said the group had also allegedly violated other rules, including entering the park without tickets. In addition, they carried out tourism activities while tourism services in Komodo National Park were temporarily suspended due to a temporary closure of tourist-boat sailings.
Hengki said the group crossed to Rinca Island using a traditional boat owned by local residents. Based on preliminary information obtained by officers on the ground, the visit was intended for only one location: the Wua Haju spot.
Indonesianpost.com | Detik
