Around 90% of tourism operations in Lombok, Indonesia, are back in business following the devastating earthquakes of August 2018. In the north west of Lombok, the island of Gili Trawangan is leading the recovery, followed by Gili Meno and Gili Air.
That’s the assessment of Khiri Travel Indonesia General Manager Herman Hoven who inspected Lombok’s tourism destinations during Christmas/New Year 2018-19. Hoven said Gili Trawangan was recovering well due to its reliance on the backpacker and ‘flashpacker’ markets. Some hotels on Gili Meno, more reliant on the couples and honeymoon market, and Gili Air, will take time to rebuild. “But this is not affecting the visitor experience available now,” said Hoven.
“Beaches have been cleared of rubble and streets re-paved,” he said. “It was encouraging to see, probably up to 90% of tourism businesses rebuilt, renovated and open for operations. We’d like to see all the tourism businesses back in demand to speed up economic recovery in the area.”
Hoven estimated that tourism operators in the north are trying to survive with business still at 10-30% of pre-earthquake levels. Tourism businesses in the south of Lombok, with its stunningly deserted beaches, were hardly impacted by the earthquakes, and are open as normal, he said.
