Lombok waits for tourists to return<\/p>\n
By Grace Segran<\/p>\n
MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): The people of Lombok still
\nspeak of the tragic events as though they took place yesterday.
\nWhat happened on Jan 17 to Jan. 19, 2000, they say, was a
\nterrible mistake which will forever be etched in their memories
\nas three days of disbelief and shame.<\/p>\n
One cannot help but notice the lonely streets and empty
\nbeaches, sadly devoid of tourists. Many shops remain closed
\nbecause they are unable to sustain the day-to-day running of the
\nbusiness. Only those shopkeepers who can afford it dare to remain
\nopen. And they still hope for the best.<\/p>\n
Little huts have sprung up along the main roads of Mataram,
\nAmpenan and Senggigi. These houses are rest stops for the
\nrecently formed vigilante corps who provide surveillance for
\nspecific areas. While it is a good thing, it is also a grim
\nreminder of what happened two months ago. The ronda
\n(surveillance) teams are said to be controlled by the police and
\nrun under the authority of the village chief.<\/p>\n
Like most of the people we spoke to, the driver who took us to
\nthe airport was quick to inform us that it was \"outside influence
\nthat did this to Lombok\", thus shifting blame.<\/p>\n
\"We are peaceful people. They cited religion as a noble cause
\nand roped in youths and other vulnerable people into their evil
\nplans.\"<\/p>\n
The renegades also apparently regret their impetuous actions.
\nThey realized their blunder when they saw what it had done to
\ntourism. It was likely that they and their loved ones suffered
\ntoo when they lost their ability to earn money because the
\ntourists stayed away.<\/p>\n
Food and beverage manager of Sheraton Senggigi Wolfgang
\nBoettcher said 30,000 to 40,000 people in Lombok, each supporting
\nan average of six people, were directly involved in the tourist
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
Some left Lombok soon after the riots to look for jobs
\nelsewhere, others returned to their homes in places such as
\nSurabaya and Java. However, 95 percent still live in Lombok,
\nwaiting for the tourists to return.<\/p>\n
Room occupancy in the major hotels hovers around 12 percent
\nat the moment. Future bookings look better.<\/p>\n
The Oberoi, a boutique hotel located in Tanjung, in the
\nnorthern part of the island was virtually untouched by the
\nrioters. But its occupancy rate plunged to zero after the riots
\nwhen tourists avoided Lombok like the plague.<\/p>\n
Front desk manager of the Oberoi Rudi Baihaqi was pleased to
\nannounce 15 percent of rooms were occupied; February averaged a
\nmere 5 percent. He said April looked brighter with bookings of
\nabout 30 percent, although during the same period last year they
\nsold 56 percent of the rooms. He predicted occupancy of 50
\npercent in July, six months after the riots.<\/p>\n
Holiday Inn Senggigi, a four-star family-oriented hotel, has 9
\npercent of its rooms occupied at the moment. Food and beverage
\ndirector Richard Mehr said: \"We expect the market to pick up
\nagain within the next four months to about 30 percent to 40
\npercent occupancy by July. With help from the government, the
\ntourism ministry and tour operators, the hotels should all be
\nable to achieve these results.\"<\/p>\n
Mehr felt that a concerted effort should be provided by all
\nthe players in the industry to boost tourism. Hotels tried
\npromoting their own establishments but the individual efforts did
\nnot make an impact.<\/p>\n
The Senggigi Business Association, consisting of the big as
\nwell as small players, was recently formed with this aim in mind.
\nThere are now more aggressive campaigns to tell people that
\nLombok is safe. At the beginning of March, they invited 100
\njournalists to see for themselves that Lombok is ready to receive
\ntourists.<\/p>\n
Despite the gloom, Senggigi Beach Hotel opened its 16 luxury
\nvillas early this month. It is optimistic that business will pick
\nup. To lure the domestic market, the hotel is offering its
\nstandard room for Rp 399,000 including all meals.<\/p>\n
The restaurants on Senggigi were rather excited about the
\nupsurge in tourist numbers in the past week or so.<\/p>\n
\"Business is good,\" says the waitress at the Bayan restaurant,
\neven though there were only two customers at the restaurant at
\nlunchtime. What she meant, of course, was that it is doing much
\nbetter than a month ago.<\/p>\n
Asmara's owner Suhaili said the restaurant never closed after
\nthe riots. At the time, the clientele was mostly expatriates, a
\nhandful of tourists and some locals. He noticed an increase in
\nvisitors in the past week.<\/p>\n
The people who suffered most were the small vendors selling
\nsouvenirs, like woven bracelets and pearls. Asked about the
\nsituation, they shook their heads sadly and said, \"We're
\nconfused. There's no money to buy food.\" For days, they may not
\nmake a single sale. And if they do sell anything, their margins
\nmay be large but the absolute amount is small.<\/p>\n
What happened was a mistake, say the people of Lombok, and not
\nrepresentative of them and their culture. They do not want it to
\nhappen again.<\/p>\n
Lombok island is peaceful. Hotel rooms are going for a song
\nand you can have the entire beach to yourself. But it will not
\nremain like this for too long. Now is probably the best time to
\nvisit to take advantage of attractive room rates, special
\npromotions and, best of all, to enjoy the island before overseas
\ntourists start flocking back.<\/p>",
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