In the previous year, there were several official reports on how the Indonesian government was planning to duplicate the tourism success in Bali in other small places across the country. One of the identified places for this project was Mandalika on Lombok Island.

In order to put this effort into fast drive, the government also introduced a visa-free tourism policy which covered inbound travelers coming from more than a 100 different countries. Clearance approval was also eliminated for yachts entering the Indonesian territory and the cabotage policy was deregulated for international cruise ships.

Slowly and steadily, Lombok, located in West Nusa Tenggara, has grown to become extremely popular with international students, and Mandalika area even with greater fame. This suggests a Central Statistics Agency (BPS) report. Over 7, 3000 foreign tourists traveled to Indonesia in March 2016 indicating an increase of 22.52 percent when compared to the travel statistics from March 2015.

Development of Hotels in Mandalika

In 2016, a government-owned organization took on the responsibility to develop tourism in the beautiful Indonesian location Mandalika, located in Lombok. The project included the building of infrastructure including solar power plants, water treatment facilities and roads.

Talking about development plans, Edwin Darmasetiawan, from Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) was reported saying that almost 1,500 hotel room might become operational by 2018 under the Mandalika project. The hotel rooms will be provided by numerous hotels including Club Med, Pullman, Marriott by EBD Bauer and Tulip (Lee Group).

Increased Opportunities for Lombok Investment

According to ITDC, the development of hotels is critical for building Mandalika Resort, which is on its last development stage. Mandalika Resort will offer around 10, 533 rooms to its guests. ITDC’s vision is to create a sophisticated tourist destination and therefore Mandalika would be home to several large hotels with popular brand names. This is sure to make Lombok a lucrative investment destination among investors from diverse backgrounds.

The natural beauty of Lombok and the availability of boutique resorts will make for the perfect retreat for tourists. The primary focus for hotel development at Mandalika Resort is 4-star and 5-star hotels. At the same time, 3-star and other types of hotels will also be developed under the project so as to expand the potential customer base to include those looking for more pocket-friendly Indonesia investment options.

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