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Mandalika on its way to become new Bali
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Tourist attraction: This picture shows the serene view of Kuta Beach, part of Mandalika tourist area, in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurated on Friday the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), designated to be developed specifically as a tourist destination (Shutterstock/File)
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or a long time, foreign tourists have adored Indonesia’s top resort island Bali, famous for beautiful tropical beaches and majestic temples.
However, that may soon change as the government’s plan to create 10 emerging tourism destinations, popularly known as “new Bali’s,” begins to take shape with Mandalika in neighboring island, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), becoming one of the pioneers.
On Friday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurated the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), designated to be developed specifically as a tourist destination.
The SEZ occupies 1,175 hectares of land and is around 40 kilometers south-east of the provincial capital, Mataram.
Speaking at the event, Jokowi called for the developer and operator of the SEZ, Indonesia Tourism Development Corporate (ITDC), to design Mandalika according to the unique Lombok character, notably in its architecture, to differentiate itself from Bali. “Don’t use the Spanish style because we are not in Spain. We must apply the local character,” Jokowi said.
To allow local people to benefit from the SEZ, he also asked ITDC to provide space for souvenir shops that sell handicrafts made and run by Lombok residents.
Mandalika SEZ is the fourth SEZ that has been operational under the current administration after Sei Mangkei SEZ in South Sumatra, Tanjung Lesung SEZ in Banten and Palu SEZ in Central Sulawesi.
