How Important Tourism for Our Country

Although Indonesia harbors great attractions for tourists - beautiful countryside, interesting cultures & historical remnants, beaches, nightlife (Jakarta and Bali), and much more - the country fails to attract a large number of foreign tourists. Yes, Indonesia may achieve its target of welcoming 10 million foreign visitors in 2015, but this figure is considerably lower than the number of tourists that visit neighboring peers Singapore (15 million) or Malaysia (27 million). Indonesia is not less beautiful nor less interesting than its neighbors. Indonesia harbors great attractions for tourists - beautiful countryside, interesting cultures & historical remnants, beaches, nightlife (Jakarta and Bali), and much more - the country fails to attract a large number of foreign tourists.

Indonesia may achieve its target of welcoming 10 million foreign visitors in 2015. Indonesia is a huge country, in both population and land area, with significant cultural and geological diversity. With 18,110 islands, 6,000 of them inhabited, it is the largest archipelago in the world. The population of around 240 million people is derived from 300 ethnic groups who speak over 250 different languages. While Bali is usually the destination most familiar to foreign visitors, there is a wealth of other top. One of the following is Lombok.

Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. Lombok’s most popular tourist destination, the Gili Islands are an archipelago of three small islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. The islands are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless little beachside cafes still playing reggae and no cars or motorbikes to disturb the peace. Note that the name “Gili Islands” is rather redundant as gili simply means “small island” in Sasak and there are many other islands around the coast of Lombok with Gili in their names.

Gili Trawangan is the largest of Lombok's Gili Islands and the only one to rise significantly (30 m) above sea level. Measuring 3 km long and 2 km wide, it has a population of around 1500 (see demography). The name Trawangan originates from the Indonesian word Terowongan (Tunnel) due to the presence of a cave tunnel built there during Japanese occupation in World War 2. Of the Gilis, Trawangan is the most developed and geared towards tourism. The main concentration of settlement, recreation, accommodation and diving business is situated on the eastern side of the island. A local pub, Tîr na Nôg claims that Trawangan is the smallest island in the world with an Irish pub. It was previously administered under Lombok Barat Regency along with Senggigi until 2010 when the Gili islands came under the jurisdiction of the new North Lombok Regency (Kabupaten Lombok Utara).

On Gili Trawangan (as well as the other two Gilis), there are no motorised vehicles. The main means of transportation are bicycles (rented by locals to tourists) and cidomo (a small horse-drawn carriage). For travelling to and from each of the Gilis, locals usually use motorised boats and speedboats.

Some of the first inhabitants of Gili Trawangan were fishermen and farmers from Sulawesi. Previous to human settlement Gili Trawangan was covered in forest and deer lived on the island. (Source: Inhabitants of Gili Trawangan — no printed source available).

The economy of Gili Trawangan centres on tourism, as the island is too small to support any broad scale agriculture, and too remote to allow economically viable industry or commerce. There is a mosque on the island.

Gili Meno is the middle of Lombok's three northwest coast Gilis. Gili Meno has a population of about 500, mainly concentrated on the centre of the island (see section ondemography). The main income comes from tourism, coconut plantation and fishing. On the west side of the island there is a small shallow lake that produces salt in the dry season. Until a few years ago there was also a small production of seaweed on the reef at the north end of the island. Gili Meno has swimming beaches all around the island, and a turtle sanctuary.

The island attracts fewer tourists than Gili Trawangan and is the quietest and smallest of the islands. However, honeymooners are often drawn to the crystal clear water and idyllic, secluded white beaches.

There is no fresh water on the island and it has to be brought by boat from Lombok. Electricity is supplied by underwater cables from Lombok. There are no cars or motorbikes.

Gili Air is the second smallest of the islands and the closest to mainland Lombok, making it popular with honeymoon couples and travellers seeking a quiet retreat. It has a population of about 1,800. The island offers excellent snorkelling and scuba diving off its east coast, and turtles can be seen along the coral reef. Other water sports such as Stand Up Paddleboarding and Kitesurfing are also now available.

Continued investment in tourism is seeing these islands develop very quickly and each year sees new resorts and accommodation on the islands while attempting to retain their individual character. Proximity to Gili Meno, the smallest and most secluded of the islands and to Gili Trawangan the largest island, known for its many restaurants and parties, makes Gili Air a happy Medium of seclusion with adequate services. Both other Islands are a quick boat ride away.

Beside Gili Islands there are many beautiful places in Indonesia that you can visit. So, How important the tourism for Indonesia? With increasing numbers of foreign visitor arrivals (both tourists and foreign businessmen) in combination with +5 percent GDP growth and investment growth, there is growing demand for hotels, condominium hotels (which combine features of apartments and hotels), as well as conferences and exhibition venues. If the government target of welcoming 20 million foreign visitors by 2020 is indeed achieved then there is plenty of need for investment in the country's hospitality industry. Moreover, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which will see its birth at the end of 2015, implies intensifying trade relations in the ASEAN region (resulting in more demand for hotel accommodations etc).

However, Bali and Jakarta have already seen a large influx of investment in recent years (especially in the upper end of the market) leading to excessive supply. Investors who want to establish hotels in these regions (as well as existing hotels) need to come up with original and creative new concepts to become market leaders.