Kite surfers filled the blue skies above Kaliantan beach in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Tuesday during the first day of the 2017 Kaliantan Kite Surfing Festival. The festival aims to promote kitesurfing and tourism in the area, though the area still lacks adequate infrastructure.

Located in Serewe village, Jerowaru district, East Lombok, NTB, about 30 kilometers south from the East Lombok capital of Selong, the 7-kilometer long coastline of Kaliantan offers steady winds between 18 and 25 knots, perfect for kitesurfing.

However, the lack of infrastructure, accommodation and road access to the white sandy beaches hinders the development of tourism in Kaliantan, making it a less popular destination compared to the famous Gili islands off the northwest coast of Lombok.

“With this kite festival, we want the public to learn about Kaliantan,” said festival organizer Sakbanul Amin on Tuesday. “Here, the wind and waves are quite steady. It’s perfect for kitesurfing. Such conditions cannot be found in other areas in Lombok, only in Kaliantan.”

The 2017 Kaliantan Kite Surfing Festival is part of the Pesona Lombok Sumbawa (Lombok Sumbawa Wonders) cultural month, which will be held until Sept. 16. The promotional campaign involves a series of cultural events to promote tourism in Lombok and neighboring Sumbawa Island.

At least 22 participants from 10 foreign countries will take part in kitesurfing exhibitions in the second such festival since 2016. Most of them, according to the organizer, are kitesurfing aficionados who are visiting Lombok as tourists.

The lack of infrastructure, however, fails to prevent people from running businesses that provide kitesurfing lessons in Kaliantan. For instance, French national Samual Greggiree started his business in the area in 2014.

“Kaliantan offers the best conditions for kitesurfing and they can last about five to six months every year between April and October,” Samuel said.

A kitesurfing course in Kaliantan, which is located 3 kilometers from the more popular Pink Beach, costs between Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million.

More than 250 foreign tourists, mostly from the Netherlands, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, have visited Kaliantan Beach so far this year, said Lalu Putriadi, who runs the Kaliantan Paradise Bungalow Retreat, a modest and charming accommodation option in Kaliantan.

Putriadi later expressed the hope that the East Lombok and NTB administrations would pay more attention to Kaliantan beach. Up to 8 kilometers of road leading up to the beach have not yet been paved with hot-mix asphalt.

“We are pinning a lot of our hopes on better infrastructure and security. These things are supposed to be supported by local administrations,” he said.

The festival also offers visitors the chance to see various traditional dances and music performances and the chance to visit other destinations in Jerowaru.

Kaliantan is only one of 13 beautiful beaches in Jerowaru, which according to NTB Tourism Agency head Lalu Kusuma Jaya, have the potential to become world-class tourist destinations.

“We also have Pink Beach, Ekas Bay and Jerowaru Bay, which offer breathtaking vistas of natural beauty,” said Kusuma.

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