Occupancy Of Hotels In Lombok Increases 100 Percent, Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association: This Is Just A Superbike, If MotoGP Might Have Overflowed

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The average hotel occupancy rate on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has increased, some even reaching 100 percent ahead of the World Superbike (WSBK) event at the Mandalika Circuit in Central Lombok Regency on November 19-21, 2021.

Head of Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) NTB Ni Ketut Wolini, admitted that hotel occupancy in a number of areas in Lombok until November was full.

"The average occupancy of our hotel because of the WSBK has increased," he said in Mataram, quoted from Antara, Thursday, November 18.

He detailed that based on PHRI NTB data, the occupancy for Mataram City reached 95 percent, West Lombok 95 percent, while Central Lombok had reached 100 percent.

"For East Lombok, the occupancy is 40 percent. In fact, what is still low is North Lombok, only 5 percent, even the three Gilis (Trawangan, Air, and Meno) are only in single digits," he said.

"But especially in Central Lombok as the location of the Mandalika Circuit, the increase is extraordinary. In fact, we are short of rooms because there are not too many hotels available," said Wolini.

Wolini admits that the existence of the Mandalika Circuit has become a magnet for tourists to visit Lombok. Moreover, the circuit with the official name Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit is the location for the WSBK and MotoGP events.

"This is just the WSBK, it's like this, especially later if it's MotoGP, we don't know what Lombok is like. There must be a cornucopia of tourists who come," he said.

Therefore, as a player in the tourism industry, Wolini hopes that this trend must be maintained. Not only tourism actors, but the community must also work hand in hand, support each other, maintain and collaborate on how the WSBK event can run smoothly and successfully.

"Even if there are still shortcomings here and there, please understand. Don't make a big deal out of it. There is also something new, there must be flaws. It can't be perfect right away, so there are deficiencies that will then become our evaluation material in the future, both tourism actors, the government and the community, so that when MotoGP there are no problems," he said.

Chairman of the Indonesian Travel Association (Asita) NTB Dewantoro Umbu Joka, admitted that ticket reservations, tour packages, including hotels in Lombok ahead of WSBK were full.

This is inseparable from the existence of the Mandalika Circuit which will hold the WSBK, so that the demand for travel to Lombok increases. The proof is that hotel room reservations are ordered through a number of applications, both in the tourist areas of Senggigi, West Lombok, Central Lombok, and Mataram City.

Although the demand for Lombok ahead of the WSBK is high, his party admits that the availability of hotel rooms in Lombok has not been able to accommodate the number of tourists who will attend to watch the WSBK.

"Currently, the problem is that we still lack hotel rooms and transportation. For example, when we hosted several national events a few years ago, the problem was that hotel rooms and vehicles were still not sufficient," he said.