Why tourists have been banned from Komodo dragon island
Problems include smugglers stealing the lizards to sell on Facebook

An Indonesian island that is home to the Komodo dragon is closing its doors to tourists from next January in a bid to prevent illegal smuggling.
Each year thousands of visitors flock to Komodo Island, in East Nusa Tenggara province, to see the giant lizards, but now the authorities say they will shut off access temporarily as part of a conservation effort. It is unclear how long the closure will last but experts believe the project, which will include planting native vegetation to bolster the specie’s food supply, could take up to a year.
The move follows the arrests last month of five people in connection with smuggling Komodo dragons and other protected species out of Indonesia. The suspects are accused of selling at least 41 Komodo dragons abroad via Facebook, for use in traditional medicine, charging the equivalent of £26,500 for each of the rare creatures.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Komodo dragons are the world’s largest living lizards, measuring in at up to three metres long and weighing up to 90kg (14st 2lb). An estimated 5,000 remain in the wild - around half of them on Komodo Island - putting them on both the endangered and protected animals lists.
The species’ rarity has made them a major attraction for visitors to the region. In 2016, the airport that serves the Komodo National Park’s 29 islands underwent a major upgrade to expand its capacity from 150,000 visitors to 1.5 million.
But the increase in tourists has also led to growing pressure on officials to protect the remaining Komodo dragon population, says Sky News.
The closure was first proposed last year by East Nusa Tenggara governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat, in response to declining numbers both of the giant lizards and the deer they eat.
Part of the problem is that “the predators have allegedly become more docile in recent years, in part because of tourists giving them food”, The Daily Telegraph reports.
“We want Komodo Island to be like the Galapagos Islands... so we need to rehabilitate the flora and fauna,” local tourism agency head Marius Ardu Jelamu told Paris-based news agency AFP.
He added that security measures on the island would be improved during the closure to thwart wildlife smugglers.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
6 stellar noctourism adventures
The Week Recommends After the sun sets, the fun begins
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
The Israeli army's 'tourist hikes' in occupied Golan Heights
Under The Radar 'Provocative' twice-daily tours into territory seized from Syria have quickly sold out
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
North Korea (sort of) welcomes tourists again
Under the Radar 'Hermit kingdom' allows foreign visitors for the first time since 2020 – but only in limited areas
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
5 trips where the journey is the best part
The Week Recommends Slow down and enjoy the ride
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Holocaust tourism and what art has to say about it
In the Spotlight New movies and a new book try to make sense of the Holocaust generations later
By Scott Hocker, The Week US
-
Raise your glass at these 7 hotel bars where the vibe is as important as the drinking
The Week Recommends Have a pisco sour in Peru and a Bellini in Rome. Or maybe run into Bruno Mars in Vegas.
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
War tours: how tourism in Ukraine is bouncing back
Under the Radar Visitors are returning to the war-torn country but not everyone is happy to see them
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Tourists welcome: the destinations open to holidaymakers
The Explainer These getaway spots are ideal for conscious travellers who don't want to contribute to the problems of overtourism
By Abby Wilson