Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Eid holiday is a much-anticipated moment for people to travel, including visiting National Parks (NP) and Nature Tourism Parks (NTP). To enhance preparedness and manage the expected surge in visitors during the Eid holiday, the Ministry of Forestry has taken strategic steps to ensure the proper management of conservation areas.
The Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, provided directives to all Technical Implementation Units (UPT) within the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE) through a virtual meeting from Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII). The directives covered six key aspects: carrying capacity and visitor limits, implementation of cashless payment, waste management, visitor security and safety, scheduling of on-duty staff, and temporary closures of certain areas.
“To maintain ecosystem balance and ensure visitor comfort, I instruct conservation area managers to enforce carrying capacity and visitor limits,” said Raja Antoni in a press release on Wednesday (March 19, 2025).
To accommodate the anticipated increase in visitors while adhering to the designated quotas, UPTs are allowed to implement a shift system for visitors, including for arriving vehicles and tourism transport. Information regarding visiting time slots and visitor quotas will be intensively disseminated through social media, radio, and information boards at the locations.
“UPTs are expected to actively socialize information regarding the division of visiting shifts and visitor quotas in each shift to ensure a smooth tourism experience in conservation areas,” stated Raja Antoni.
To support a more efficient payment system, all conservation areas are required to ensure that cashless payment devices are functioning properly. Entrance tickets can only be purchased through digital methods such as QRIS and EDC machines. Public awareness campaigns about this policy will also be expanded so visitors can prepare accordingly before their visit.
Furthermore, Minister Raja Antoni emphasized the importance of waste management based on the zero-waste principle. During the Eid holiday period, periodic waste patrols will be conducted, and trash bins will be provided in high-traffic areas.
Raja Antoni also urged UPTs to ensure visitor comfort and safety. Various measures will be implemented, such as ensuring clear signage and warning boards to provide adequate information for visitors. Coordination with relevant parties will also be strengthened, including with nearby health facilities to anticipate emergencies or accidents, as well as with BMKG and the volcanology center to monitor weather conditions and geological activity. If extreme weather or natural disasters occur, or based on coordination with relevant parties, tourism areas may be temporarily closed to ensure visitor safety.
Each UPT will schedule duty shifts for officers responsible for monitoring and supervising tourism activities in conservation areas during the Eid holiday. Monitoring reports will be submitted regularly to leadership, who will remain on standby to ensure everything stays under control. UPT heads are expected to be ready to anticipate any potential situations.
As part of preparedness efforts, KSDAE Director General Satyawan Pudyatmoko announced that, due to various conditions, 12 national parks, 3 nature tourism parks, and 1 wildlife sanctuary will remain temporarily closed until the Eid holiday period, particularly for hiking tourism.
The following areas are closed:
- Mount Ciremai National Park: All hiking trails (Palutungan, Linggarjati, Linggasana, Apuy, and Sadarehe) are closed from February 28 to April 2, 2025, while non-hiking tourism remains open.
- Baluran National Park: All tourism visits are closed from March 29 to March 31, 2025.
- Mount Tambora National Park: Hiking is closed until April 13, 2025, depending on weather conditions, while non-hiking tourism (Oi Marai Waterfall & Deer Sanctuary) remains open.
- Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park: Ahuawali Peak hiking is closed from March 3 to March 31, 2025.
- Mount Rinjani National Park: Hiking is closed from January 1 to April 2, 2025, and will reopen on April 3, 2025. However, non-hiking tourism at 16 destinations remains open.
- East Java KSDA Regional Office: Yang/Argopura Highland hiking is closed from February to April 7, 2025, and Mount Baung Nature Tourism Park is closed from March 28 to April 3, 2025.
- West Sumatra KSDA: Mount Marapi and Mega Mendung Nature Tourism Parks remain closed due to disaster and eruption risks.
- Mount Merbabu National Park: Selo hiking trail is closed until March 31, 2025, and Suwanting trail is closed from March 30 to April 1, 2025.
- Mount Gede Pangrango National Park: All hiking trails (Cibodas, Gunung Puteri, and Selabintana) remain closed from December 25, 2024, to March 31, 2025, for safety considerations.
- Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park: Mount Semeru hiking is closed until further notice, and other entrances will be closed for Nyepi and Eid from March 28 to April 1, 2025.
- Mount Merapi National Park: All hiking trails have been closed since May 2018 due to alert status (level III), and non-hiking tourism will only be closed on March 31, 2025, for the first day of Eid.
- Mount Halimun Salak National Park: Salak Peak 1 and 2 hiking trails (Cimelati, Cidahu, Pasir Reungit, and Ajisaka) have been closed since December 7, 2024, with no reopening date determined due to extreme weather risks. Non-hiking tourism remains open.
- West Bali National Park: Closed from March 29 to March 30, 2025, for Nyepi celebrations.
- Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park: Camp Granit location will be closed from March 29 to April 1, 2025, for the Eid holiday.
- The Ministry of Forestry, through the Directorate General of KSDAE, continues to encourage the public to preserve conservation areas during the Eid holiday period.
By adhering to established regulations, ecosystem balance can be maintained, and nature tourism can be enjoyed safely and comfortably by all visitors.
