Lombok gets its good name back<\/p>\n
Pariama Hutasoit, Contributor, Senggigi, Lombok<\/p>\n
Lombok has always been compared to Bali, as though it is the
\nbeautiful but neglected step-sister, the Cinderella of the
\nIndonesian travel world.<\/p>\n
Travel brochures breathlessly describe it as \"the way Bali
\nused to be\", or \"From Lombok, we can see Bali, but from Bali we
\ncannot see Lombok\", a reference to how the minority Hindu
\npopulation on the island has also built some magnificent temples.<\/p>\n
In a sense it does a disservice to this island, with its own
\nunique attractions, because it has been forced to live in the
\nshadow of its neighbor about 50 kilometers west.<\/p>\n
Today, Lombok, once seemingly destined to rival Bali as the
\nplace to go in eastern Indonesia, has dealt with its own
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
Lombok Island is home to the Sasak people, whose ancestors
\nmigrated to Lombok from the fallen Hindu Majapahit Empire of East
\nJava at the end of the 14th century. Their language, ancient
\nscript, art, song and dance show their link with the
\nHindu\/Buddhism cultures that dominated much of Indonesia before
\nthe arrival of Islam.<\/p>\n
Distinct in language, dress and custom from their Balinese
\nneighbors to the west and the Sumbawanese to the east, the Sasak
\nare linked by history and culture to the ancient civilization of
\nJava. Although strong followers of the Muslim faith, their arts
\nare unique to them.<\/p>\n
The Islamic Sasaks, most of whom are farmers, mingle
\nharmoniously with Balinese Hindus in a mix that enhances the
\nisland's cultural and traditional attractions. Most of Sasak
\npeople of Lombok follow a brand of Islamic orthodoxy professed by
\ntraditional teacher, which is known as \"Tuan Guru\".<\/p>\n
Others follow the syncretism tradition of \"Wetu Telu\". Instead
\nof praying five times a day as a Muslim usually does, they pray
\nonly three times a day, and have a cosmology influenced by
\nHinduism. There is even a temple in Lingsar where people from
\nHindu and Islamic traditions meet for common prayer.<\/p>\n
The Lombok Strait is one of the most important lines of
\ngeographical division in the world. This turbulent strait, that
\nseparates the island from Lombok, that Alfred Russel Wallace
\n(1823-1913), the esteemed English naturalist, drew what has
\nbecome known in evolutionary science as The Wallace Line or
\nWallace's Line.<\/p>\n
This line marks the center of a transition and evolutionary
\nzone where the lands, flora and fauna of subtropical Southeast
\nAsia make a sudden and quite dramatic transition into the earth,
\nplants and animals typical of Australasia.<\/p>\n
In Bali we have barbets, fruit-thrushes and woodpeckers; on
\npassing over to Lombok these are seen no more, but we have an
\nabundance of cockatoos, honeysuckers and brush-turkeys, which are
\nequally unknown in Bali, or any island further west.<\/p>\n
The strait here is 15 miles wide, so that we may pass in only
\ntwo hours from great division of the earth to another, differing
\nas essentially in their animal life as Europe does from America.<\/p>\n
This island, which measures about 80 kilometers north to south
\nand about 70 kilometers east to west, is also a much drier and
\ntougher island than generally verdant Bali. This is what led
\nLombok Island to its own name in the Sasak language: \"Bumi Gora\"
\nmeaning \"The Dry Farmland\".<\/p>\n
The uniqueness and strategic location of Lombok has provided
\nit with an advantageous position in the development of local
\ntourism. Since 1986, the government of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB)
\nemphasized tourism as the main priority of development,
\nparticularly on Lombok.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the growth of NTB tourism underwent rapid
\ndevelopment, averaging about 30 percent in the period 1986-1996.
\nIn 1989 the government identified 15 potential areas to be
\ndeveloped in NTB, nine on Lombok Island -- Sire, Gili Air, Gili
\nMeno, Gili Trawangan, Senggigi, Suranadi, Gili Gede, Kuta, Seger
\n-- and six on Sumbawa Island.<\/p>\n
All the plans started to come asunder when the economic crisis
\nand unrest hit the country. The situation worsened when a riot
\nbroke out on Jan. 17, 2000, in Mataram and West Lombok after a
\nreligious rally.<\/p>\n
Overnight, Lombok became tarred with the stigma of an \"unsafe\"
\ntourist destination, a place to travel at your own risk. Several
\nembassies issued travel warnings, and the one from Japan remains
\nin effect.<\/p>\n
Visitor numbers plummeted. In 1997 there 245,049 foreign
\nvisitors, which fell to 168,727 in 1998, 144,953 in 1999 and
\n126,364 in 2000.<\/p>\n
The fallout from the World Trade Center attacks in September
\n2001 led to the threat of a \"sweep\" of foreigners in Indonesia if
\nthe U.S. attacked Afghanistan in its search for Osama bin Laden.<\/p>\n
The NTB authorities, knowing the potential for another blow to
\ntourism, did their utmost to reassure visitors and potential
\ntourists, particularly in major markets like Germany, that they
\nwould assure their safety.<\/p>\n
NTB Governor Harun Al Rasyid recently stated that the decline
\nof tourist development caused great hardship to the economy of
\nthe province, since the sector is the second biggest employer
\nafter agriculture but carries higher economic value. It has also
\nled to the expansion of other industries, such as handicrafts.<\/p>\n
\"Nowadays, Lombok is safe enough and there is no reason to be
\nscared to go to this island,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"After the tragedy (2000 riots), we then contacted the
\ntraditional teachers to give an explanation. The community and
\nthe teachers stated their deep regret about the tragedy and they
\nrealized that it brought lots of disadvantages. Therefore, we are
\noptimistic that tourism in NTB will be promising in the future.\"<\/p>\n
After years when hotel occupancy rates crashed, there is also
\nhope from that sector that visitors are on their way back.<\/p>\n
\"I'm reasonably optimistic. I am very confident, and we just
\nneed some time,\" general manager of Novotel Corolia Lombok,
\nStephane Fagez, said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lombok-gets-its-good-name-back-1447893297",
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