Lombok Int'l airport to begin operation soon
An international airport, currently under
construction in Central Lombok regency, West Nusa
Tenggara, is scheduled to be in operation in the
coming months, an official said Tuesday.
Local provincial administration spokesman Ahmad
Baharuddin, said that a soft opening for the airport
was originally scheduled for this month, but was
delayed due to the lack of supporting facilities,
especially road access from the capital to the
airport.
“State owned PT Angkasa Pura I, which is in charge
of managing the airport facility, was not ready for
the soft opening,” Baharuddin said in Mataram, as
quoted by Antara state news agency.
The soft opening will possibly be delayed until June
or July, he said, adding the delay was mainly caused
by the fact the local administration still required
funds to finance land clearance to enable the
construction of a bypass leading to the airport.
The Rp 110 billion (US$11.80 million) airport
project is designed to have a 1,750-meter runway and
various facilities, including two aprons of 62,072
square meters, Baharuddin said.
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The best areas to stay on Lombok
Lombok geographically is almost the same size as
Bali and, just as there are popular tourist areas on
Bali, so Lombok offers a variety of destinations to
suit different holidaymakers' tastes. Following is
an overview of the most popular areas to stay in
Lombok.
Senggigi is the main tourist area on the mainland,
with the town stretching along several fantastic
bays on the west coast, and is only 20 minutes from
the island's Selaparang airport. It is the ideal
base from which to explore the island, and all major
tourist attractions can be reached by day trips from
Senggigi, including boat trips from Senggigi Bay out
to the Gilis.
The Gili Islands are one of the most popular
destinations on Lombok; every year thousands of
people flock to these three small islands just off
the northwest coast of Lombok. With many fast boat
options such as Gili Cat and Blue Water Express
providing easy transfers between the Gilis and Bali,
the islands have become a popular getaway not just
for overseas travelers but for those living on Bali
too.
Kuta, the main tourist area on the south coast of
Lombok, is not to be confused with its famous
namesake in Bali. Kuta, Lombok, is a peaceful beach
destination that has found fame due to the great
surf locations that surround the small town.
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International Rinjani Mountain Climbing jn July
2010
The International Rinjani Mountain Climbing event in
Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), is
scheduled in July 2010, with more foreign mountain
climbers taking part.
"I have several times coordinated preparations of
the international event in Jakarta, and this time
its schedule has been set in July 2010," Head of the
NTB Cultural and Tourism Agency Lalu Gita Ariadi
said here Tuesday.
Ariadi said the organizers of the international
event was set up by the Directorate General of
Forest Protection and Natural Conservation (PHKA),
of the Forestry Ministry.
Rinjani is the second highest volcano in Indonesia
after Mt Kerinci (3,800 meters) in Sumatra, and has
become very popular to local and foreign tourists.
The geo-tourism potentials include the beautiful
cauldron, lake, peak, waterfalls, hot springs,
caves, erruption history, blast-hole and new lava
flow, and has therefore been suggested to become the
first geopark in Indonesia.
The 3,726 meters high volcano had been suggested to
be developed into Indonesia`s first geopark, or one
of the 54 geoparks in 17 countries of the world.
Since placed under the management of RTMB, Rinjani
had been several time been given national and
international awards like the World Agency Award
2004 and the Tourism For Tomorrow Awards in 2006 and
2008.
The Rinjani Mountain Climbing will be started in
mid-April to early in December, depending on weather
conditions.
The route of the climb will reach Lake Segara Anak,
by two routes namely the Senaru climb in 7-10 hours
on foot covering eight kilometers, and Sembalun
route in 8-10 hours.
Visitors who are already at Pelawangan would still
need 4-5 hours to reach the peak of Rinjani through
the climbing routes in forests.
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ArabNews: Bali, World’s favorite resort
The world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia,
comprising 17,504 large and small tropical islands
fringed with white sandy beaches, many still
uninhabited and a number of them even still unnamed,
has emerged as one of the favorite destinations for
Saudis. Especially enchanting to them is Bali, which
is considered as the perfect holiday destination for
all ages offering something for everyone.
Tourism officials at the Consulate General of
Indonesia and Garuda Indonesia, which operates
regular weekly flights between Saudi Arabia and
Jakarta, say Bali remains the most popular and
favorite destination for travelers from this part of
the world. The number of travelers to the island
resort continues to increase year after year.
It is thus that following its success last year,
Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara once again organizing
this year’s annual travel mart Tourism Indonesia
Mart & Expo (TIME) or Pasar Wisata Indonesia. This
Indonesian premier tourism event will be held on
Oct. 12-15 at Santosa Villas & Resort Lombok.
Entering its 16th years of conduct, TIME is
organized by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board
(ITPB) and supported by entire tourism components in
Indonesia.
Meity Robot, chair person and steering committee of
TIME 2010, told Arab News in a communication that
the conduct of TIME also supports the government
program of “Visit Indonesia Year” which continues
this year, as TIME is aimed at promoting Indonesia
as a tourist destination in international market and
at the same time raise the country’s image as one of
the global travel destinations.
“The shifting of TIME to Lombok for two consecutive
years, i.e. 2009 and this year, is aimed at
promoting Lombok and West Nusa Tenggara to the
international market and speeding up the development
and improvement of infrastructure, tourism
facilities and tourism attractions in the region, so
that at the end the destination could establish
itself as one of global travel destinations.
Moreover, with the completion of new international
airport expected to be ready this year, it will
attract more tourist arrivals to the island and
speed up the improvement of infrastructure and
encourage more investors to the region to develop
new hotels as well as tourism attractions,” Meity
said.
Lombok is located just east of Bali. The island is
only 20 minutes by flight from Bali, with Selaparang
International Airport. Presently, Lombok has nearly
3,500 hotel rooms with international standard.
Garuda Indonesia operates regular weekly services
from the Kingdom to Jakarta.
Bali offers not just various customs but also
various “adrenalin pump” parks. Many exciting
amusements are available in Bali, with something new
opening all the time. The number of offshore and
inland attraction are on the rise because many
tourists want them. This tropical paradise has a
unique blend of modern tourist facilities combined
with shopping and a rich past and heritage, Meity
added.
After white water rafting that has gained popularity
in Bali, comes offshore rafting or ocean rafting.
The more adventurous sort of amusement has now
become an alternative sport for tourists. Meanwhile,
white water rafting is still a popular activity with
trips on Ayung, Telaga Waja, Unda Rivers, etc. The
tourists can refresh their mind by watching
beautiful scenery along the route. Those are not
enough, some of the best surfing beaches in the
world can be found on the western side of the island
while conversely the eastern side is a wonderful
haven for families, with beautiful white sand
beaches and gentle seas.
Bali is a small island, just 140 km by 80 km and
lies between Java, the most highly populated and
influential of all the islands, and Lombok, one of
the quieter and moderately slower paced islands.
Like many islands, Bali has developed a world of its
own. It not only captures what is special about
Indonesia but also has a uniqueness of its own.
Among the most well known islands are Sumatra, Java,
Kalimantan (formerly Borneo), Sulawesi (formerly
Celebes), the Maluku Islands (or better known as
Moluccas, the original Spice Islands) and Papua,
aside from Bali. But Indonesia still has many
unexplored islands with grand mountain views, green
rainforests to trek through, rolling waves to surf
and deep blue pristine seas to dive in where one can
swim with dugongs, dolphins and large mantarays.
Because of her location, and geology, Indonesia is
blessed with the most diverse landscape, from
fertile ricelands on Java and Bali to the luxuriant
rainforests of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, to
the savannah grasslands of the Nusatenggara islands
to snow-capped peaks of West Papua.
Its wildlife ranges from the prehistoric giant
Komodo lizard to the Orang Utan and the Java rhino,
to the Sulawesi anoa dwarf buffalos, to birds with
exquisite plumage like the cockatoo and the bird of
paradise. This is also the habitat of the Rafflesia
the world’s largest flower, wild orchids, an amazing
variety of spices, and aromatic hardwood and a large
variety of fruit trees. Underwater, scientists have
found in North Sulawesi the prehistoric coelacanth
fish, a “living fossil” fish, predating the
dinosaurs living some 400 million years ago, while
whales migrate yearly through these waters from the
South Pole. Here are hundreds of species of colorful
coral and tropical fish to admire. |
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