The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, stated on his Instagram account on Saturday (4/6/2022), that the price of entrance tickets to Borobudur Temple will be raised.
Borobudur Temple's increased entry charge will be IDR 750.000 for local tourists, USD 100 for foreign tourists, and IDR 5.000 for students. The price increase, according to Luhut, is designed to maintain the archipelago's historical and cultural value.
In addition to the announcement about the increase in admission prices, Luhut hopes to limit the number of people visiting the Borobudur Temple area each day to 1,200.
The public has reacted sharply to Luhut's unexpected revelation. Safira, a social media user, uncovered the price increase for admission tickets to the Borobudur Temple via Instagram. Safira responded to the announcement by saying, "I think if we look at the reasons it makes perfect sense, as we are on the brink of destroying the Borobudur and to cultivate and involve more of the local people to be the guides and such. But I do not agree with the price of the tickets, Rp 750.000 is way too expensive even for the middle-up class and instead what this will cause is a class crisis where only the really wealthy can afford the tickets and this is only if they want to.”
In addition, Safira advised the government on this announcement, “If what they really want is to limit the amount of people coming in, just make a numbered ticketing that people must book online prior to visit and pay for Rp 300.000 max is already good enough plus guide’s fee.”
The Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, declared on Tuesday (7/6/2022), that the rise in the price of Borobudur Temple admission tickets will be postponed, which Luhut agreed to. Safira also responded to the delay, “I think it’s important for the govt to reconsider the idea as many people aren’t content with it and instead this could cause people to lose trust in the govt and also causing receding economic boosts that the people around Borobudur temple needed.”
