A ticket officer at the Sindangkerta tourist attraction, Cipatujah District, Tasikmalaya Regency, is suspected of carrying out illegal levies (pungli) on tourists by setting an entrance fee of IDR 20 thousand. The illegal levies (pungli) carried out have been widely complained about by tourists who vacationed at the beach.
Deni, 40, a resident of Bandung City said that he was a victim of extortion at Sindangkerta Beach, Cipatujah District when he went on vacation with his family and suddenly stopped the car he was using and set a ticket price of Rp20 thousand. However, the ticket officer was on guard at the entrance to the tourist attraction.
“The ticket officer who was on duty at the tourist entrance immediately stopped the vehicle and asked to pay a ticket worth Rp30 thousand. However, the officer did not give the entrance ticket he was holding and the officer only gave one ticket for Rp6 thousand,” he said, Saturday (29/6).
He said, the issue of payment at the tourist location was immediately questioned over the amount of the tariff of Rp30 thousand until the officer then lowered it to Rp20 thousand. However, the collection of the entrance fee felt suspicious because it was not appropriate because the person forced him to pay even though the price for three people was Rp18 thousand.
“We deeply regret the extortion at the Sindangkerta tourist location, and this incident is certain to happen a lot, especially to other visitors. I really hope that there will be stricter supervision of ticket officers and if this is not done, the Sindangkerta tourist area will be deserted by visitors,” he said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the Tourism, Youth and Sports Agency (Disparpora) of Tasikmalaya Regency, Dodi Ajat Sudrajat said, related to illegal levies that occurred in the Sindangkerta Beach tourist area, his party always provides counseling guidance to officers in the field according to applicable regulations including tickets at tourist attractions. However, officers who take actions outside the rules will certainly be sanctioned.
“The entrance ticket price to Sindangkerta Beach according to the rules is relatively cheap according to Tasikmalaya Regency Regulation Number 1 of 2024 concerning regional taxes and regional levies and at tourist attractions is only IDR 5,000, insurance premium IDR 1,000. However, the parking fee for motorbikes is IDR 2,000, cars IDR 3,000 and six wheels or more IDR 5,000,” he explained. (Kristiadi/Z-7)
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