Kirana Lombok, located in Torok Aik Belik Beach in the beautiful Selong Belanak Bay is the closest point of contact to the new International Airport. This area has attracted the ‘smart money’ end of foreign investment and will ultimately command the best returns in the long term and enjoy the most benefits that ‘lifestyle investment’ has to offer. From a tourist perspective there are obvious compa
risons between Lombok Land and Bali, not least the striking beauty of the landscape including their awe inspiring volcanoes, the terraced rice paddies and the tropical white sand beaches on the land. However there exists vast differences between their Lombok and Bali cultures. The colorful and rich Balinese Hindu culture at first glance overshadows the less apparent richness of the Sasak culture that is predominant in Lombok. Yet to explore this culture is to realize that the Sasaks have indeed a fascinating and complex edge to their heritage and way of life and well worth the journey. To explore the southern coastline of Lombok, one will realize that it’s 30 kilometer stretch of beaches with their pristine white sand and crystal blue water combined with a back drop of rolling green hills and charming local culture is an ideal set up for a major tourism destination and an area where tropical real estate and property will thrive. Bali has realized a property boom over the last 15 years and has been a place where foreign investment has found a popular home. Lombok in comparison has been seen as the “next big thing” yet to date as seen comparatively little development. Certainly a comparison in the price of land reflects this. However a significant rise in foreign investment in Lombok land over the past 5 years is indicative that its time is nigh. There are two main factors that have resulted in this increase in investment. Firstly, there has been a significant rise in the population in Bali on both a local and foreigner level, resulting in a serious rise in motor traffic, a disheartening increase in the pollution of its beaches and a general loss of its charm on the land. Hopefully the Balinese and foreign residents can engage measures to counter this but in the meantime investors are looking at Bali’s neighbour Lombok, as a place where the natural beauty and charm exists in abundance and can see the potential of the area. Secondly, to realize this potential, Lombok has needed a catalyst. This has now come in the form of a recent announcement by a consortium who are planning to build an amusement park similar to Disneyland in the tourism area of Mandalika in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The groundbreaking event for the project, based on a 1,250-hectare site, took place on Oct. 19,2011 and was attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
“This is hoped to revive investment in Mandalika (along with) the opening of Lombok International Airport,” West Nusa Tenggara Investment Board chief Lalu Bayu Windia quoted in tempointeraktif.com. The project is a joint investment of several companies including Rajawali Group, the owner of Novotel Hotel on Aan Beach, a Taiwan investor aiming to develop healthy tourism and Media Nusantara Citra which will be in charge of the theme park development.
