Hotel Business Operators Highlight Surge in Hilltop Villa Development at Mandalika Special Economic Zone
The Mandalika Hotel Association (MHA) has raised concerns over the proliferation of villa and residential development in the hillside areas of the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Central Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), which it links to recent recurring flooding incidents.
Hotel and restaurant business operators at Mandalika are urging local government authorities to conduct spatial planning evaluation based on environmental carrying capacity, integrate drainage systems from upstream to downstream, and accelerate improvements to vulnerable infrastructure.
“Kuta Mandalika is the showcase of Lombok’s tourism. What is at stake is not just local business activity, but the region’s reputation in the eyes of international tourists and investors,” said MHA Chairman Samsul Bahri.
Samsul explained that tourists generally remain calm and hotel operations continue normally. To date, he noted, reservation cancellations have not shown significant numbers. “However, we are not closing our eyes to the fact that every infrastructure disruption has the potential to affect perceptions of the destination,” he added.
He stressed that tourism is a sector highly sensitive to safety and accessibility issues. Samsul noted that once a destination’s image is damaged, recovery is difficult and time-consuming. Therefore, every incident should be a matter of serious collective concern.
“The Mandalika SEZ in Lombok NTB has carried great aspirations about Quality and Sustainable Tourism. For us, the concept of sustainability must not stop at slogans or promotion alone,” he stated.
The General Manager noted that sustainable tourism campaigns cannot rely merely on slogans. There must be genuine field implementation, particularly in water management, control of hilltop development, and basic infrastructure readiness, which are key to maintaining branding credibility.
“Because the global market today is increasingly critical and judges consistency between narrative and practice,” he emphasised.
The MHA is also monitoring the acceleration of development in the hillside areas of Kuta Mandalika. While supporting investment and growth in principle, development must be accompanied by strict environmental oversight.
“Changes in land contours without planned drainage management and conservation can increase the risk of surface runoff and have direct impacts on business areas below. This is a technical issue that needs to be handled seriously and based on scientific study,” he noted.
Business operators have implemented various mitigation measures, including construction of additional infiltration wells, optimisation of internal drainage systems, and post-rainfall coordination efforts. However, they recognise that macro-scale water management issues cannot be resolved solely at the business level. Structural policies and cross-sector synergy are required.
The association is calling for firm government policy to select investors who can properly invest and develop at Mandalika, which is important for disaster prevention. “We do not want every rainy season to become a recurring cycle of problems. This development momentum must be balanced with strong environmental management to maintain market confidence,” he said.
Kuta Mandalika has become the focus of national and international attention, Samsul noted, meaning its management standards must be higher, more disciplined, and more integrated than other areas.
Earlier, the Regent of Central Lombok, Lalu Pathul Bahri, attributed the recent flooding at the Mandalika SEZ to the proliferation of hilltop villa development. Based on preliminary analysis, the primary flooding cause was identified as sediment accumulation from soil erosion on the hillsides, which prevented water from being properly contained.
The Regent of Central Lombok is documenting building owners conducting construction on the hills of the Mandalika SEZ. According to him, nearly all these structures lack permits from local government authorities.
“The mountains are owned by the community, we do not know to whom and when they sold the land. These foreigners (investors) also did not request permits. That is why we want to call them in,” Pathul stated.
Pathul has instructed the Regent’s Special Staff to document building owners on the Mandalika SEZ hillsides. He expressed frustration that they have disregarded warning letters sent by local government.
Pathul acknowledged that the situation has occurred because of rapid investment in Central Lombok but does not want to miss the opportunity to prevent prolonged disaster.