Mega resorts planned for Bali, Belitung
Mega resorts planned for Bali, Belitung
JAKARTA (JP): Two private companies controlled by Hutomo
Mandala Putra, President Soeharto's youngest son, are planning to
establish resorts worth billions of dollars on Bali and on
Belitung island, South Sumatra.
Hutomo, popularly known as Tommy, is developing the 650-
hectare Pecatu Indah Resort Bali in Jimbaran, southern Bali,
through PT Bali Pecatu Graha. The company's subsidiary, PT Putra
Ciptawahana Sejati, is to develop the 1,070-hectare Belitung
Indah Resort on Belitung island, which is famous for tin mining.
Bali Pecatu's president, Made G. Putrawan, who is also the
president of Putra Ciptawahana, told a press conference here
yesterday that the Bali resort was expected to attract US$1.6
billion in domestic and overseas investment for the various
components at the site, while the Belitung resort may attract
$120 million.
He said that besides its eight hotels, the Pecatu Indah Resort
Bali would also have golf courses covering 300 hectares,
botanical gardens, residential areas, cultural centers and
community facilities.
Construction of the first stage of the Bali resort is expected
to be completed by the end of next year. The entire development
is scheduled to be completed by 2003.
Bali Pecatu's finance director, Gusti Bagus Mantika, said the
company had secured Rp 115 billion ($48.7 million) in loans from
a banking syndicate -- Bank Eskpor Impor Indonesia, Bank Tabungan
Negara and Bank Rama -- to develop the first stage of
infrastructure for the Bali resort.
Established in 1990, Bali Pecatu is 98.5 percent owned by
Tommy. The remaining shares are owned by his sister-in-law, Ilsje
Sigit Soeharto.
Gusti said the second stage of infrastructure development
would be financed by selling land within the site to investors.
"For the third stage, we plan to issue bonds and for the last
stage we will float shares on capital markets, either
domestically or internationally," he said.
The country's first integrated resort development is in Nusa
Dua, Bali. It was pioneered by the government, and contains
several luxury hotels and convention centers.
The Bali Nirwana Resort, which is under construction, is
another resort development on the island. Owned by Bakrie Group,
it is scheduled to open next year.
The Belitung Indah Resort is to be the first tourist resort on
Belitung island.
A number of private firms have been reluctant to invest in
tourist businesses in Belitung because of its sparse
infrastructure. There are also no official reports on tourist
numbers there.
Chairperson of the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board
Wuryastuti Sunario said that, besides natural attractions,
resorts must have proper access and unique attractions and
activities for tourists.
"Thumbs up for a company willing to develop a tourist resort
on an island like Belitung," she said.
Some businessmen have expressed concern over the Tanjung
Pandan airport in Belitung which needs improving to cater for
more tourists.
Belitung island, 77 kilometers wide and 79 kilometers long,
lies off the east coast of Sumatra.
Another tourist resort in Belitung which was sponsored by the
government and the local authorities of South Sumatra has not
gone ahead.
However, Putrawan said yesterday that the airport in Belitung
would soon be expanded and daily flights from Jakarta and
Singapore were scheduled to fly to the island.
"We will sell the beaches and the isolation of the planned
Belitung resort," he said.
He said the Belitung Indah resort would be developed in three
stages until 2005. (icn)