Date: November 28, 2015
Source: TheJakartaPost.com
First of four new Mandalika hotels to break ground – great news for TOV owners!
According to an article in today’s Jakarta Post, Edwin Darmasetiawan, the Business and Development Director of the state-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), is quoted as saying that ITDC is currently in the process of securing roughly US$65 million in investments to further develop the Mandalika Resorts project in Kuta, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara into Indonesia’s “premier tourist destination”.
In the arricle, Edwin further reveals that on December 12, 2015, ITDC will mark the formal ground-breaking ceremony for the new Mandalika Resort Pullman Hotel – the first resort hotel project to commence construction within the Mandalika project. (Those who have been to the Novotel, Kuta recently have seen that in fact, the Pullman Hotel has already begun).
Other Mandalika Resort development matters referred to in the Jakarta Post article include the following:
- The Indonesian government has set a goal of 20 million tourist visits to the country by 2019 and, in order to meet this goal, ITDC will focus on three primary areas – most importantly the Mandalika Resorts project, but also including Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Tanjung Lesung in Banten.
- The master-planed 1,035 hectare Mandalika “eco-tourism” project has a development footprint of only 35% of the total land and thus will leave a significant portion of the project as open/undeveloped area.
- The new Pullman Hotel, with an estimated direct investment by ITDC of Rp 400 billion (US$29 million), will formally break ground on December 12, 2015. The Pullman Hotel will be managed by France-based hotel operator Accor.
- France’s Club Méditerranée (Club Med) has signed an MOU with ITDC and has formalized its plan to build a 2nd hotel at the Mandalika Resorts project with an estimated 350 to 400 rooms. (This, according to recent Cub Med press releases).
- The US $65 million amount which ITDC intends to secure for the balance of the project is based on the master plan for the Mandalika Resorts project created by the ITDC. The area will also see the construction of hotels, a marina, golf course, villas and a convention hall in the mid- to long-term plan as an adjunct to its positioning as an ecotourism destination.
- According to Edwin, ITDC has cooperated with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to reach potential investors in the Middle East. The IDB had also offered to provide loans for investors to develop various projects in the area.
- Mr. Darmasetiawan reminded potential investors that acquisition of the HPL land has already been accomplished by ITDC and thus there are no land acquisition costs to investors.
- Mandalika recorded 125,307 foreign tourist visits in 2013, according to Tourism Ministry data. However, the future projection is set at 1 million foreign tourist visits a year.
The Mandalika Resort contains 7.5 kilometers of ocean-front white sand beaches, including Kuta Beach, Seger Beach and A’an Beach (Tanjung A’an) near TOV and is a mere 20-minute drive from Lombok International Airport. The Mandalika project now has 4 kilometers of recently installed interior roadways and a site office from which the development is managed.
The Tanjung Ocean View owners know that TOV is strategically located on the immediate periphery of Mandalika Resorts, looks down on the Mandalika project from TOV’s higher elevation and was purposely created in this location to profit from price increases resulting from the Mandalika Resorts development. Anyone planning to buy Kuta land, to invest in Lombok or to buy a house or commercial property in South Lombok should bear in mind that prices will undoubtedly rise dramtically as the Mandalika Resorts project moves forward. Invest in Kuta now – don’t wait until prices skyrocket!
