Indonesia’s Secret Island Retreat
For years it has lived in the shadow of its more famous neighbour Bali. Now Indonesia’s pristine Lombok Island is making a concerted effort to build itself up as the next Bali, while trying to maintain its natural charm.
Slower to catch the tourism train than its neighbour to the west, Lombok has been promoted as an “unspoiled Bali.But a future $600 million development may see it emerge on par with Bali as a world-class tourism destination, according to the United Arab Emirates-based developer.
Tourists visiting Lombok typically treat it as a side-trip to Bali, staying just a few days.
The Japanese and Australians, Bali’s top two groups of tourists, come to Lombok for the surfing. The Koreans come to honeymoon, and the Europeans see it more like an extension of Bali.
Expats from Jakarta come for the relaxation, explains Dominique Duvivier, the general manager of Accor’s Novotel Lombok.But he says there’s new interest in Lombok. The hotel struggled to survive in the aftermath of the tourism downturn that followed the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings.
Business is particularly good this year though, with the hotel running at about 53 per cent occupancy compared to just 30 per cent at this time last year. News of a new airport and plans by UAE property developer Emaar Properties have helped generate interest in Lombok.
“I think Bali is too crowded so they need to find a plan B,” Duvivier said.“Also this development program is bringing some new investors, some new tourists. The Novotel Lombok is currently the only top-end hotel in the island’s south, although there are other budget and mid-range accommodation options in the area.
Lombok’s principal beach resort of Sengiggi is situated in the western part, closer to the capital Mataram, the current airport and Lembar, the main port for ferries. Work has started on a new $72 million international airport, close to the town of Praya and about 30 km south of the existing Salaparang airport.
Authorities believe the opening of the new airport, expected in 2010, will make Lombok a primary tourist destination, rather than just an add-on to Bali. International travellers will be able to fly direct to Lombok. And the new airport will be able to handle 2.4 million visitors, compared to Salaparang airport’s 800,000 passenger capacity.
Tourists from the Middle East are expected to be drawn by Emaar’s planned development of a 1,175-hectare site in south Lombok. The development will be set along a seven-kilometre natural waterfront complete with five-star resorts, luxury residences, a marina, golf course and shops.
The Bali Tourism Development Corporation signed off on the Lombok mega-tourism project in March, with master planning for the development beginning in April. The first five-star hotels are expected to open to guests in a few years time and further development will take place over a number of years.
Emaar says its project, set on the Kuta and Tanjung beaches, will be environmentally friendly, integrating natural elements into a residential, leisure and hospitality zone.
Unveiling the project in April last year, Emaar chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar described Lombok as one of the most promising tourism destinations in Indonesia, adding it had the potential to be a magnet for world travellers.
Visit Lombok today and you’re certainly not met with a carbon copy of Bali. It’s more laid back and less touristy, even though tourism is the island’s largest source of income. It’s sometimes described as being like Bali 20 years ago, although at least one Lombok travel company says that’s incorrect if you consider the landscapes and cultures that are uniquely Lombok.
As lombokhotelandtravel.com puts it: “As the old saying goes, ‘You can see Bali in Lombok but you can’t see Lombok in Bali. The writer was a guest of Accor Hospitality and Garuda Indonesia, staying at the Novotel Lombok.
Source: http://www.southasianpost.com/
Add comment September 22nd, 2008