Tourists Call for Toilet Facilities at Pink Beach and Long Pink Beach

Visitors at Komodo National Park’s iconic Pink Beach and Long Pink Beach have raised concerns over the lack of basic amenities, particularly toilets, as tour guides and local vendors echo the need for improvements as well.

Pink Beach is located on Komodo Island, while Long Pink Beach lies on the northern side of Padar Island, located in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara. These two beaches are major attractions due to their unique pink sand: a rare natural phenomenon that draws visitors from across the globe. Tourists typically spend one to two hours at these beaches, engaging in activities such as snorkelling, strolling along the shore, playing in the sand, and relaxing at the nearby small stalls.

Despite these beaches being crowded with visitors, basic facilities like toilets are still unavailable. Tourists visiting Long Pink Beach and Pink Beach often complain about the lack of toilet facilities. They feel that this situation significantly disrupts their vacation experience and puts pressure on the tour guides in the area.

Roberto San, a tour guide based in Labuan Bajo, explained that many tourists visiting Pink Beach and Long Pink Beach feel uncomfortable as they have to return to their boat to use the toilet.

“We often hear complaints from tourists about the lack of toilets. This has been the situation for quite some time,” San told the press on Sunday, the 20th of October.

Furthermore, the tour boats bringing the tourists to the beach are often anchored far from the destination spot, making access to toilets impractical as well as disrupting the comfort of tourists as the latter would wish to fully enjoy their time at the beach. Tourists entering this area may need a place to rest and relieve themselves after participating in the various activities offered on the beach.

Abdul Salam, a souvenir seller at Long Pink Beach, echoed a similar sentiment. He hopes that toilets will soon be constructed to meet the needs of tourists. He also observed that basic facilities, such as toilets, would be crucial to ensuring the comfort of visitors and maintaining the good reputation of this particular area in the international scope.

“Hopefully, the government will build toilets here,” added Salam.

The development of facilities in Komodo National Park, including Pink Beach and Long Pink Beach, is currently under the auspices of the Komodo National Park Office. Unfortunately, limited budgets have become a major challenge, which prompted the Komodo National Park Office to encourage participation from both the local community and the private sector in the efforts to build adequate infrastructure for tourists and visitors.