Island Info
admin August 4th, 2008
Tourism in Indonesia is an important component of the Indonesian economy and an important source of foreign exchange revenues. With a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, the second longest shoreline in the world, 300 different ethnic groups and 250 distinct languages, and a tropical climate throughout the year, nature and culture are two major components of Indonesian tourism.
Tourism in Indonesia is currently overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. International tourist campaigns have been focusing largely on tropical destination with white sand beaches and blue sky imageries. Beach resorts and hotels were developed in some Indonesia islands, with Bali island as the primary destination. Cultural tourism is also an important part of Indonesia tourism industry. Toraja, Prambanan and Borobudur temples, Yogyakarta and Minangkabau are popular destinations for cultural tourism, apart from many Hindu festivities in Bali. About 5 million foreign tourists have visited Indonesia annually since 2000.
However, tourism development had sometimes clashed with local people, that has created criticism over Indonesia’s tourism industry. Most of the disputes were related over land possession, local traditions (adat) and the impact of tourism development to the local people. In another area, tourism industry in Indonesia faces major threats. Since 2002, several warnings have been issued by some countries over terrorist threats and ethnic/religious conflicts in some areas, which significantly reduces the number of foreign visitors.
Many of the visitors to Lombok and much of the islands goods come across the Lombok Strait by sea or air links. Only 25 miles separate the two islands across the Lombok straights. Lombok is often marketed as “an unspoiled Bali,” or “Bali’s sister island.” Currently with support of the central government, Lombok and Sumbawa are being developed as Indonesia 2nd destination for international and domestic tourism. Lombok has retained a more natural, uncrowded and undeveloped environment, which attract travelers who come to enjoy its relaxed pace and the opportunity to explore the island’s unspoiled, spectacular natural beauty. The more contemporary marketing campaigns for Lombok and the 13 Gilis seek to differentiate from Bali and promote the island of Lombok as a stand alone destination. The imminent opening (2011) of the new Lombok International Airport will assist in this endeavor.
Nusa Tenggara Barat and Lombok may be considered economically depressed by First World standards and a large majority of the population live in poverty. Still, the island is fertile, has sufficient rainfall in most areas for agriculture, and possesses a variety of climate zones. Consequently, food is in abundant quantity and variety and is available inexpensively at local farmer’s markets, though locals still suffer from famine due to drought and subsistence farming practices. A family of 4 can eat rice, vegetables, and fruit for as little as US$0.50 a day. Even though a family’s income may be as small as US$1.00 per day from fishing or farming, many families are able to live a contented and productive life on such astonishingly small incomes. The people of Lombok however are coming under increasing pressure from rising fuel and food prices and access to more modern housing, education and health services still remains difficult for many of the islands indigenous population.
Lombok’s indigenous Sasak people are predominantly Muslim however before the arrival of Islam, Lombok experienced a long period of Hindu and Buddhist influences that reached the island through Java, although minority Balinese Hindu culture remains in Lombok. Islam may have first been brought to Lombok by traders arriving from Sumbawa in the 17th century who then established a following in eastern Lombok. Other accounts describe the first influences arriving in the first half of the sixteenth century. According to the palm leaf manuscript Babad Lombok which contains the history of Lombok describes how Sunan Prapen was sent by his father The Susuhunan Ratu of Giri on a military expedition to Lombok and Sumbawa in order to convert the population and propagate the new religion. However the new religion took on a highly syncretistic character, frequently mixing animist and Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and practices with Islam.
A more orthodox version of Islam increased in popularity in the early twentieth century. The Indonesian government agamaisation programs (acquiring of a religion) in Lombok during 1967 and 1968 led to a period of some considerable confusion in religious allegiances and practices. These agamaisation programs later led to the emergence of more conformity in religious practices in Lombok. The Hindu minority religion is still practiced in Lombok alongside the majority Muslim religion and can be seen in the tourist area of Senggigi.
BIG NEWS FOR 2011
10th must see destination of the year 2011
Bali’s sister island of Lombok’s most popular tourist destination is the Gili Islands (or just the Gilis), they came to the attention of the wider world as a backpacker mecca in the 1980s and 1990s. They have now however been acclaimed to be the tenth must see destination in 2011 by the Lonely Planet.
This is still true to some extent and backpackers do still go to the Gilis, and the islands are still a fixture on the Banana Pancake Trail. But the times are changing, and there is now a tint of more glamourous options on the Gili islands, especially so on the largest of the three, Gili Trawangan.
The Gili islands are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless little beachside cafes still playing reggae and serving up questionable “energy” drinks, but also at the other end of the scale, elaborate seafood buffets, fresh salads and good quality western and Asian food is also on offer.
But best of all, one of the rarest things and maybe the biggest attraction is that there are still no cars or motorbikes to disturb the peace.
There are an increasing number of westerners living on the Gilis, and operating businesses ranging from dive companies to villa resorts. There is a strong environmental focus here as the reefs sufferred in El Nino and from a limited amount of dynamite fishing that damaged small parts of the reef in the past.
When once people came to dive, snorkell and ‘ party ‘, a more upmarket tourist scene is showing up now. With cheap flights from Australia, families are flocking to the islands as more accommodations provide more suitable options, many visitors even skipping Bali entirely and travelling straight through with connecting domestic flights. However the Gilis are still very much still all about beachlife, just that now there are many more options to wine and dine or to hang out and meet new friends.
Strictly speaking, the name “Gili Islands” is rather redundant, as gili simply means “small island” in Sasak, the local Lombok dialect, but the name has stuck and is universally used and understood in travel and guide books denoting a holiday destination.
There are also many other Gili islands off Lombok, on the north east coast, and the south west coast, with names such as Gili Nanggu, Gili Gede, and Gili Poh, and some of these are still totally uninhabited. With the new international airport opening at some point in the next couple of years, tourism is only going to grow and grow, we will see how the islands cope over the next few years but as the Lonely Planet suggests, if you don’t go soon, you will miss out on a very unique tourist destination.
For more information about the Gili islands - these websites are all very usefull and have a personalised service run by Island Promotions Travel, the original and longest operating Gili island tour and travel specialists.
If you would like to know more about the three Gili islands of Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air, or would like to book a hotel or transport, please feel free to contact our friendly team on any of the ways listed below.
Island Promotions Travel,
Shop 1 -
The Gili Paradise Shop,
No. 12, Poppies Lane 1,
Kuta, Bali.
Tel - +62(0)361 753241
Shop 2 –
CV. Island Promotions,
Suka Beach, JL. Benesari,
Poppies Lane 2, Kuta, Bali.
Tel / Fax - +62(0)361 766220
SMS bookings - +62 81 805 305 632
SKYPE – VIPSKYPE7
Yahoo messenger - gili.paradise
www.Gili-Blog.com - information, events, news, comments
www.Gili-Hotels.com - villas, hotels & backpacker beach huts
www.Gili-Fastboat.com - for fast boat on line booking reservations
www.Gili-paradise.com - general information, transport, diving packages
www.Gili-Property.com - real estate, land and villa sales, villa sales and rentals
<p>VIP airport FAST TRACK</p>
<p>* Immigration * Visa * Baggage * Transport *</p>
<p>Standing in a Long Line for Paradise<br />
<strong>Delays of Up to 4 Hours Reported at Bali’s Immigration and Custom’s Counters</strong>. </p>
<p>(5/4/2010) Virtually every local paper in Bali is carrying news of the long delays being experienced by arriving passengers at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport where new Border Control Management (BCM) requirements have made an already long customs and immigration process even longer.</p>
<p>I Wayan Puspa Negara, a member of the Bali House of Representatives (DPRD-Bali), complained to the Bali Post of the numerous steps in the clearance process confronted by passengers entering Bali’s arrival terminal. In addition to paying for and securing a 30-day visa-on-arrival (VOA) and presenting their passport for inspection to immigration officers, Bali visitors must now submit to a fingerprinting and photo session before making their way to the Custom’s area where each piece of baggage is x-rayed before being subject to possible hand inspection.<br />
Puspa said the entire process can take up to two hours from the door of the airplane to the airport’s greeting area. Some tourists complain that the process can, in fact, take four hours for those arriving at peak traffic times.</p>
<p>link - http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=5994<br />
ISLAND PROMOTIONS VIP FAST TRACK</p>
<p>* Immigration * Visa * Transport*<br />
Airport Meet and Greet Service:<br />
This completely hassle-free VIP service is offered for the weary passenger or those who don’t have much time to make a connecting domestic flight, who arrives on any airline company, arriving or leaving the International Airport, Ngurah Rai Denpasar Bali. Our Bali Fast Forward meet and greet service takes away the stress on arrival, as our guests no longer have to stand in painstaking queues for Visa On Arrival (VOA), passport control and Immigration. </p>
<p><strong>Procedure for Arrival</strong>:<br />
Our friendly staff will meet you in the arrival hall before the VOA counter with a sign with your name and/or company logo. We then take your passport together with the money for the purchase of the Visa on Arrival, US$25 for 30 days of stay. After your express check through, we take you to the baggage collection area, where a porter is arranged for your baggage. Our staff will then accompany you through customs to avoid any possible difficulties at the customs house. Once through, you will be taken directly to the domestic terminal, or to the driver for transport to your hotel.</p>
<p><strong>Procedure at Departure:</strong><br />
If not using our Driver, you need to arrive at the terminal at least 2hrs before the departure and look for your name on a sign before the entry doors. We then take your passport, ticket and Airport Tax- RP150,000 and proceed to the head of the queue to check in your baggage. We then take you straight through customs control, registration and passport control, without the need to queue. Finally we accompany you to the waiting room or VIP lounge (additional order).
The boarding is performed without assistance.</p>
<p><strong>Price USD$45 per passport/ transition / person</strong></p>
<p>Price Includes:<br />
VIP “Visa on Arrival” Processing<br />
VIP Immigration Clearance<br />
Customs Declaration assistance (if any)<br />
Luggage Handling<br />
Mineral Water in the Car<br />
Staff with sign board<br />
Staff escort to domestic check-in OR car transfer to hotel in Kuta, Seminyak and Sanur areas</p>
<p>Price Excludes:<br />
Visa on Arrival (US$25 for 30 days)<br />
Overweight based on airline tariff regulation<br />
Over carried Customs Goods<br />
Airport Taxes<br />
Passport and Visa Problems</p>
<p><strong>For more information contact us on info@island-promotions.com</strong></p>
The 7th Annual Gili islands Biorock workshop, as usual was a huge success.
This year’s Biorock Workshop was a great success for Gili Trawangan, thanks to the generous support of the Gili Eco Trust and the entire Gili Trawangan community.
The 7th Indonesian Biorock Coral Reef Restoration, Fisheries Habitat Restoration and Shore Protection Training Workshop was held on Gili Trawangan, Lombok, from 15-21 November 2010.
The Vice Governor of Lombok opened the workshop, along with Pak Agung Prana, Balinese ecotourism pioneer. The Governor sent the head of the Regional Planning Agency, (BAPEDA), to discuss future developments as well as the Bupati (Regent) from North Lombok.
More than 80 people participated in the Workshop, including a wide range of divers, students, conservationists, scientists, engineers, artists, doctors, and lawyers.
The majority of participants were from Indonesia and included more than 20 students in Marine Science, Biology, and Forestry from Mataram University in Lombok, all of whom were trained as divers for the workshop and are planning Biorock related research projects.
Indonesian people from Gili Trawangan came along to learn about the technology they have seen being installed around their island for the past 5 years: people from the Youth Association “Remaja Karang Taruna”, teachers from the local primary school, SATGAS (ocean security), students and teachers from the Gili Trawangan high school of tourism and the Kadus and Kades (Heads of the village and of the three Gili islands).
Besides Indonesia, participants came from many parts of Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kuwait, State of Qatar, China, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Students learned all aspects of Biorock® Technology theory and practice, including the fundamental physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, and biology; along with hands-on training in design, construction, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and repair. They saw documentary films and heard lectures on the latest developments in marine ecosystem restoration.
More than 16 new Biorock reefs were designed, built, installed, and planted with corals by the students, bringing the total of Biorock reefs at Gili Trawangan up to nearly 60. These are located in front of every dive shop and many of the restaurants and hotels in Indonesia’s major dive attraction. The projects at Gili Trawangan now rival the Karang Lestari Biorock project in Pemuteran, Bali as the world’s largest and most spectacularly successful coral reef restoration project.
The Biorock® method was invented, developed and patented by the late Prof Wolf Hilbertz and Dr Thomas Goreau and uses low voltage electrical currents to grow solid limestone minerals on conductive surfaces.
The method being used in the Gilis involves welded steel frames submerged at varying depths in the ocean, through which a small electrical charge is run, generating mineral growth on the frames. These solid surfaces then become the framework, or artificial reef, on which corals can anchor and grow.
Biorock is the only method that increases coral growth rate and resistance to environmental stress, so Biorock reef corals bleach less, recover faster, and have higher survival rates from global warming-caused heat stroke. This course came at a very critical juncture, because 2010 has been the hottest year in history, and severe coral bleaching took place across the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the West Pacific, the Persian Gulf, and the Caribbean this year, including Lombok.
Water temperatures throughout Indonesia — and many of the most important coral reefs in the world — now remain several degrees warmer than average, and will start to bleach in the next few months if this weather pattern continues. If it is as severe as is expected, only places with Biorock Coral Arks will have much coral, fish, and beaches afterwards.
Biorock graduates are now trained to restore coral reefs and fisheries, and reclaim severely eroding beaches. They can apply these skills as soon as local communities, government policy makers, and international funding agencies recognize the critically urgent need to restore rapidly vanishing coral reefs and the fisheries, create shore protection, and protect tourism, and the biodiversity services they provide to over 100 countries, before they vanish.
Only those with proper Biorock training have the knowledge and skills to implement new projects, and will receive full support with advice, advanced training, and the materials needed to start new projects designed to save marine ecosystems from the runaway effects of global warming, global rising sea levels, and unsustainable over-exploitation of the world’s coral reefs.
The Gili Eco Trust, with the support of the business community on Gili Trawangan and local government agencies, shows how westerners and local communities can work together to preserve and rehabilitate the coral reefs around the Gili islands; leading to a sustainable future for everyone.
For information on other Gili Eco Trust projects, or to make a donation, visit www.giliecotrust.com.