Indonesia may charge tourists 500 dollars to see rare Komodo dragons

An Indonesian governor plans to charge tourists 500 dollars each to enter Komodo National Park, home to the giant lizard the Komodo dragon, according to local media reports. 

Victor Laidkodat, the governor of East Nusa Tenggara, of which the park is part, said the high entrance fee was intended to boost the prestige of the conservation area, the Kompas daily reported.

Visitors are currently charged 150,000 rupiah (10 dollars) for access to the park. 

"This is a rare place, only for people with money," Laiskodat was quoted as saying by Kompas. "Those who don't have enough money shouldn't come because this place is for extraordinary people." 

Laiskodat said a tourist ship entering the UNESCO World Heritage Site could be charged 50,000 dollars in the future.

The government has floated the idea of limiting access to only 5,000 visitors per month in an effort to ramp up security following a fire in August believed to have been sparked by a tourist's improperly discarded cigarette.    

The government's new proposal will also make online registration a necessity before accessing the park, which currently takes in over 10,000 visitors per month.