The island of Lombok got a substantial boost last week with a visit by incumbent President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife, Ibu Ani.
The President arrived in Lombok just two days before the nation went to the polls for the Indonesian Presidential elections on 8 July, taking time out of his busy campaign schedule to open a series of important events taking place on the island. At a meeting of hundreds on Monday, 6 July the President announced that it was also his wife’s birthday… emphasising to the crowd that developing Lombok is a top priority for the President and his team.
Also on the island were the Indonesian Minister of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, and the Department’s Director General of Marketing, Sapta Nirwandar, along with another six national Ministers. A show of force indeed and, while some may say “electioneering”, the promises made by Indonesia’s current ruling party spell good news for Lombok.
The President and entourage were in town to officially launch the lead up to “Visit Lombok Sumbawa 2012”, as well as to open the 5th International Ecotourism Business Forum hosted this year in Lombok.
Similar to the 2008 and 2009 “Visit Indonesia” national campaigns, “Visit Lombok Sumbawa 2012” will see a concerted push at both local and national levels to promote Lombok to the world and dramatically increase tourist arrivals to the region. Lombok and Sumbawa are the two islands that form the Nusa Tenggara Barat Province of Indonesia (commonly shortened to “NTB”).
The target for “Visit Lombok Sumbawa 2012” is to attract one million visitors to the region.
Considered by many to be more natural and pristine – and, arguably, more beautiful – than neighboring Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa both feature white sandy beaches and turquoise oceans, as well as a rich marine life and stunningly beautiful natural regions ideal for ecotourism.
Lombok is home to Mount Rinjani, the second-highest peak in Indonesia and considered one of the best trekking spots in Asia, as well as the Gili Islands, known throughout the world as un-spoilt tropical islands with superb diving locations. Sumbawa boasts the volcanic range of Mt Tambora, the Heritage island of Moyo, and myriad surfing beaches considered to be among the best in Southeast Asia. The beauty and natural charms of the two islands, however, are often overshadowed by the worldwide popularity of Bali, mainly due to a lack of promotion.
On Sunday, 5 July at a magnificent launch party held on the beachfront at Santosa Villas and Resort, over a thousand people heard Tourism Minister Jero Wacik announce that all that is about to change, with the government pledging to focus on developing the tourism industry in the NTB region over the next three years, culminating with “Visit Lombok Sumbawa 2012”.
“Lombok has everything that Bali has,” the Minister said, “What I consider the best beach in the world, a fascinating culture, beautiful natural scenery and value for money resorts and facilities. There is no reason Lombok cannot become a national icon, just as famous as Bali.”
At a packed conference held at the Santosa Convention Centre on Monday, 6 July, both Jero Wacik and President Susilo reiterated this pledge, promising to inject funds into NTB to improve infrastructure to support the developing tourism industry in the lead up to 2012 and the targeted one million visitors.
Promising to work in partnership with NTB Governor, Zainul Madjdi, and instructing the seven Ministers present to ensure professional and efficient administration for the area, President Susilo declared that development of Lombok and Sumbawa was the focus of his government.
Governor Zainul Madjdi spoke at the meeting and said, with the support of the national government, the Lombok International Airport would be completed this year and opened for operation in 2010, as planned. Jero Wacik addressed concerns about the controversial Emaar Properties development project in South Lombok and said that he had travelled to Dubai to meet with Emaar officials and that they were committed to going ahead with the multimillion dollar resort development.
The team also discussed the potential of both Lombok and Sumbawa for ecotourism, with a number of local attractions now slated as Geo Parks and sites such as Rinjani, Tambora and Moyo receiving world-wide recognition as eco-destinations.
NTB is also well known for its growing pearl industry and Lombok, in particular, has a strong pearl cultivation and jewellery manufacturing industry, which now attracts buyers from around the world, including Spain and Japan. With myriad locations around both islands for expanding pearl cultivation, the President and Governor spoke about building this industry with the aim to make NTB a world centre for pearl trade.
It was a heady few days, before the President and Ministers headed off back to Jakarta to face the mayhem of Indonesian elections. Regardless of whether the election gives the President another five-year term, with a green light for both the International Airport and the Emaar Properties development, and national funding for infrastructure and tourism development, the next five years looks very bright for Lombok.
