NTB Bappeda Positions Tourism as Engine of Economic Growth

The Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province is positioning quality tourism as the main engine for economic growth through enhanced collaboration across regional apparatus organisations.

Head of Bappeda NTB Baiq Nelly Yuniarti stated that tourism development requires the involvement of all regional apparatuses so that the economic benefits can be felt more widely by the community.

“Tourism is not solely the concern of the Tourism Office. All sectors have an important role in creating quality, sustainable destinations that can provide economic benefits to the community,” she said in Mataram, NTB, on Saturday.

A Bappeda NTB study indicates that the tourism sector is closely linked to various fields, from agriculture, forestry, and fisheries to MSMEs, the creative economy, and human resource development.

Nelly expressed hope that all regional apparatus organisations can align their programmes according to their duties and functions to support the development of quality tourism in the West Nusa Tenggara region.

“Rice fields, forests, beaches, and community life can be developed into economically valuable tourist attractions if managed in an integrated and sustainable manner,” she said.

In the first quarter of 2026, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that West Nusa Tenggara’s annual economic growth rate reached 13.64 per cent. This double-digit economic growth figure was supported by the processing industry, mining, and financial services.

BPS recorded 8,686 foreign tourist visits to NTB via Lombok Airport and 1.2 million domestic tourist movements in April 2026.

Head of the NTB Tourism Office Ahmad Nur Aulia explained that the quality tourism concept being developed focuses on improving the quality of destinations, tourism products, human resources, and local community involvement in supporting the tourism industry.

“This effort is also part of strengthening the creative economy and enhancing the competitiveness of NTB tourism at both the national and international levels,” Aulia concluded.

Several flagship destinations promoted by the NTB government to attract tourists include trekking on Mount Rinjani, the whale shark attraction in Saleh Bay, historical and cultural tourism at the NTB Museum, and sports tourism in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone.