The new entrance fee for Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park has nearly doubled for local and foreign visitors, with sudden implementation sparking concerns among tourists and tourism operators.
The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Centre (Balai Besar Taman Nasional Bromo Tengger Semeru or BB-TNBTS) has announced an increase in the entrance ticket fee for the national park area via its official website. The new fee has been in effect since the 24th of October.
For local tourists, the entrance fee, which was previously Rp29,000 on weekdays, has now risen to Rp54,000, while on holidays, the rate has increased from Rp34,000 to Rp79,000. Furthermore, for foreign tourists, the entrance fee is now set at Rp255,000, both on weekdays and holidays, which previously ranged from Rp220,000 on weekdays and Rp310,000 on holidays.
On top of that, the rates for taking photos and videos in the Bromo area have also seen a significant rise. The rate, which was originally Rp300,000, is now Rp2 million per package per location, while foreign tourists are charged a rate of Rp5 million per package per location. This policy refers to Government Regulation (Peraturan Pemerintah or PP) Number 36 of 2024 regarding the types and rates of Non-Tax State Revenue (Penerimaan Negara Bukan Pajak or PNBP).
However, some considered the surge in entrance fee would have a negative impact on tourism business operators. Andik Lintang, a tourism business operator in Gubukklakah Village, Malang Regency, remarked that the notification of the tariff increase came as a surprise, especially as many tourists had already booked tickets well in advance. As a result, around 300 tourists were forced to cancel their trips. Many of them were from Bandung and Jakarta.
“The notification was sudden, while tourists had already booked one and two months in advance,” he told the press on Thursday, the 7th of November.
Lintang also criticised the lack of communication by BB-TNBTS regarding this fee change.
“It shouldn’t have been sudden, because many tourists had already made bookings well in advance. We could have helped inform the tourists,” he continued.
Lintang added that, in some cases, he had to contribute financially to cover the difference in costs due to what he felt was a sudden fee increase.
“Because we had already arrived in Malang, we shared the cost 50/50 with the visitors, and the remaining 50% was charged to us,” he elaborated.
Furthermore, Suryani, a tourist from Tangerang, also admitted to being surprised by the rate increase. Because she already brought a group of tourists with her, Suryani was forced to add extra funds to adjust to the new rates.
“I was a bit surprised because I had already booked the ticket a month ago with a travel agent,” she also told the press.
This post was originally published on here
