NTB Museum Strengthens Thematic Concept to Attract More Tourists

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Museum is strengthening its transformation into a thematic museum as a strategy to attract more tourists, while also reinforcing its position as a leading destination on Lombok Island. “Hopefully, with a thematic museum, we can strengthen our position so that we truly become a premier destination. Currently, the level of visits is already high,” said Head of the NTB Museum, Ahmad Nuralam, in Mataram on Saturday. The NTB Museum is currently preparing the construction of a thematic museum that will showcase the history of the eruptions of Mount Tambora and Mount Samalas, aiming to enrich cultural educational tourism and strengthen geological disaster literacy. According to the detailed engineering design document prepared by the NTB Museum, the thematic museum will cover an area of 2,390 square metres and consist of three floors. Nuralam stated that the development of the thematic concept is accompanied by improvements to supporting facilities, particularly the maintenance of collections and museum infrastructure, which remain the biggest challenges at present. He said that strengthening the thematic concept can provide a more engaging experience for visitors while simultaneously reinforcing the NTB Museum’s identity as a space for education, historical preservation, and cultural tourism. “The trend of tourist visits to the museum has shifted; previously it was busy before the school holidays, but now it is busy during the holiday season,” said Nuralam. Nuralam hopes that the implementation of a new regional regulation on retribution will support service improvements and museum development through a proposed adjustment of entrance fees to Rp5,000 for students, Rp10,000 for domestic tourists, and Rp30,000 for foreign tourists. Currently, the entrance fee is still relatively cheap, at only Rp2,000 for students, Rp5,000 for domestic tourists, and Rp20,000 for foreign tourists. The student ticket price has been in place for the past five years.