T

he administration of West Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara province plans to build an airport in the regency to improve accessibility and bolster tourism.

“We have so much tourism potential in West Sumbawa. There are beaches, natural and cultural attractions, but we have minimum accessibility. That is what we are trying to improve by building an airport,” West Sumbawa regent Wahyu Musyafirin told The Jakarta Post recently.

The administration was planning to construct the airport around a disused runway in Sekongkang district, he said, on land that used to be privately owned but had since been acquired by the regency.

The existing runway is 800 meters long, but the regency plans to extend it to 1,200 m and build supporting infrastructure. The entire construction project including supporting facilities is estimated to cost the regency around Rp 60 billion (US$4.5 million).

Musyafirin said he had conveyed this plan to Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi in a meeting last week.

“The only [support] we need from the central government is related to the permits; as for the construction, we will handle it ourselves,” he said, adding that his office had also sent a formal request to the air transportation directorate general at the Transportation Ministry.

Significant efforts were needed to put the plan into practice, Musyafirin said, expressing his hope that the airport project would play a pivotal role in boosting tourism and the local economy of West Sumbawa.

West Sumbawa has various tourist attractions like the secluded Sekongkang and Maluk beaches known for their beauty and waves for surfers. An international paragliding spot has also been opened in the village of Mantar in Poto Tano district.

The administration has been promoting the 410-hectare Mantar cultural village as one of the tourism gems of West Sumbawa.

Nestled 640 m above sea level, it is popularly known as “the village above the clouds” and affords visitors breathtaking views.

However, accessibility has proven a challenge as the regency seeks to promote its tourist attractions.

It takes visitors around six hours to reach West Sumbawa from the provincial capital of Mataram on Lombok Island for a trip that entails overland travel and crossing the sea from Kayangan Port in East Lombok.

An airport would put the regency within one-hours reach from Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali and 40 minutes from Lombok International Airport, Musyafirin said.

“Without good accessibility, it will be difficult for us to develop our region, so this is what we are focusing on,” he said, adding that airport would also increase investment in West Sumbawa.

West Sumbawa’s tourism attractions remain behind the popularity of Lombok Islands, where visitors usually visit the famous Mount Rinjani, Sengigi Beach and the Gili islets.