A map shows the location of Mandalika on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Mandalika special economic zone (KEK) in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, is slated to be held on Dec. 12 by the state-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).
According to ITDC president director Abdulbar M. Mansoer, a budget of Rp 2.1 trillion (US$150 million), which would be allocated within the next 10 years, had been prepared to develop the 1,175-hectare site.
"The development of Mandalika KEK will be divided into three phases. The first phase will focus on constructing the necessary infrastructure such as power plants, water systems and roads," said Abdulbar.
At least three hotel chains, including Pullman and Club Med, have agreed to build properties in the region with construction set to begin in 2016. The development of Pullman's four-star, 250-room hotel is scheduled to complete by early 2018.
The construction of a convention center that can accommodate 2,000 people is also among the development plans during the first phase.
"We are open and very welcome to [other] prospective investors who are interested in investing in Mandalika," ITDC director Edwin Darmasetiawan told a press conference in Jakarta recently.
According to Abdulbar, Mandalika will be developed using the same concept applied in Nusa Dua, Bali.
"The area in Mandalika is triple the size of Nusa Dua. So, we are still in the process of developing master plans for the KEK, which include building a theme park, a cruise ship dock and yacht marina as well as two international-standard golf courses," said Abdulbar, adding that all the facilities would be built using eco-friendly technology and would feature Lombok-inspired designs.
"We also have plans to open a tourism academy in partnership with the Tourism Ministry to meet the demand for human resources in Mandalika, " said Abdulbar. (kes)(+)
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