West Lombok Regency is advancing one of its most closely watched tourism planning processes: the Buwun Mas Tourism Area in Sekotong. After surveys and field observations beginning in July 2024, the West Lombok Tourism Office (Dispar Lobar) convened a focus group discussion with roughly 40 participants from environmental agencies, mining and land offices, forestry units, academia, and private tourism operators to refine a master plan and detailed engineering design (DED). Reporting by Inside Lombok captures head of Dispar Lobar Agus Gunawan’s view that Buwun Mas is intended as a leading future destination in the regency’s southern growth corridor.

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Planning Process and Stakeholder Input

The FGD format was deliberate: master plans for sensitive coastal zones fail when drafted in isolation. Inputs from the NTB Environment Agency, mining authorities, West Lombok land office (BPN), and the Pelangan Tastura forest management unit helped align tourism zoning with environmental and tenure realities. Tourism cluster participants from “Rumpun Pariwisata Lombok Barat” added operator-level perspective on access, waste, and guest experience. Agus Gunawan stated that Buwun Mas is being designated among favourite destinations for Lombok Barat because much of the regency’s future “lies in the south”—Sekotong and Buwun Mas specifically—rather than relying solely on mature north-coast markets.

Proximity to Mandalika Special Economic Zone

Buwun Mas Village sits relatively close to the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (KEK), home to international resorts, the Pertamina Mandalika circuit, and concentrated public investment. Provincial planners envisage Buwun Mas as a supporting village (desa penyangga) that captures spillover visitation without duplicating Mandalika’s motor-sport and large-format resort identity. For land investors, adjacency to a KEK can improve road prioritisation, utility rollout, and marketing coherence—provided projects respect local zoning emerging from the master plan.

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Connectivity Vision: Sekotong in a Wider Archipelago Route

Agus Gunawan told Inside Lombok that the master plan should improve accessibility not only within Lombok but between major leisure nodes—envisioning links involving Bali via Benoa and Nusa Penida, Sekotong’s small islands (gili clusters), and the Senggigi–Gili Trawangan corridor. Multi-hub routing increases length of stay and diversifies guest spend across regencies. Realising that vision depends on ferry schedules, pier investment, and private operator participation; the master plan is the policy scaffold, not yet every sail time on a timetable.

Regulatory Certainty for Investors

A stated goal is translating the master plan into binding local rules—potentially a regional regulation (Perda) or regent regulation (Perbup)—so investors, communities, and agencies share one reference for permitted uses, building setbacks, and environmental standards in Buwun Mas. That reduces ad hoc approvals and aligns with Invest Islands’ emphasis on transparent land titles and compliant development. Until Perda/Perbup exist, due diligence on zoning certificates and community consent remains essential.

Phased Implementation and Budget Reality

Dispar Lobar targets completing the master plan within the 2024 calendar year so that implementation can begin in 2025. Agus acknowledged phased rollout: authorities will prioritise one zoning area first rather than developing the entire footprint simultaneously, matching budget capacity to highest-potential segments—beach fronts, viewpoints, or cultural assets depending on survey outcomes. Phasing suits private investors who prefer staged capex and proof-of-demand before scaling villa clusters or eco-lodges.

Property Market Catalysts in Sekotong

Sekotong already draws divers, island-hoppers, and buyers seeking quieter freehold-adjacent structures via compliant PMA models. A government-backed tourism area formalises marketing narratives—“planned destination” rather than opportunistic scatter development—and can lift land benchmarks for well-located plots with road access and electricity. Risks include oversupply if speculative flipping runs ahead of infrastructure, and environmental stress on fragile coasts if carrying capacity is ignored. Master-plan-led markets tend to reward patient developers who integrate waste management, water, and community employment.

Inside Lombok’s coverage emphasises that Dispar Lobar began physical surveys in July 2024 before escalating to the October FGD—an orderly sequence that reduces the risk of blueprint plans drawn without site knowledge. Buwun Mas’s natural setting (pantai, hills, and small-island views) supports eco-tourism positioning rather than high-rise density. Investors comparing Mandalika hotel caps with Sekotong villa plots should ask how provincial transport links will move guests between circuits, resorts, and dive boats once priority zones receive funding. Early movers who align with the master plan’s character—low impact, community-linked hospitality—are better placed when Perda or Perbup codify use classes.

Sustainability and Invest Islands’ Footprint

Invest Islands’ projects in West Lombok—including environmental initiatives such as beach clean-ups in Sekotong—reflect the same sustainability expectations embedded in provincial planning discourse. Buwun Mas succeeds if it balances visitation with reef protection, Sasak cultural integrity, and transparent benefit-sharing with Buwun Mas residents. Investors should treat the master plan as a compatibility check: projects that fit designated eco-tourism or low-density resort zones are more likely to secure future regulatory support.

Watch for published DED documents and public consultations that translate Agus Gunawan’s October 2024 timeline into zoning maps investors can rely on in land negotiations. Until those files are issued, treat verbal priorities as directional rather than legally binding entitlements.

Conclusion

Buwun Mas is moving from concept to structured planning under Dispar Lobar, with stakeholder FGDs, DED work, Mandalika adjacency, and a phased 2025 implementation horizon. Inside Lombok’s reporting on Agus Gunawan’s statements provides primary regional context for international investors who cannot attend every provincial workshop. The opportunity is tangible—South Lombok’s natural assets plus public coordination—but success requires respecting official zoning as it crystallises, verifying land certificates, and building hospitality products that match the connectivity and sustainability story Sekotong is trying to tell.