Natural Disaster Response Through Promotion of Eco-Tourism in Lombok

Lombok, a resort island situated east to Bali, has been among the top tourist destinations in Indonesia. The island attract about 1 million tourists annually, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Tourism and its related sectors have been important sources of employment and income of local people. Two large scale earthquakes hit Lombok in August 2018 (6.9 magnitude and 6.2, respectively), damaging the infrastructure on the island. Travel warning of many governments advised potential tourists against visiting Lombok and its off-coast islands. As a consequence, the arrival of tourists in Lombok is forecasted to decline. The Tourism Minister Arif Yahaya reportedly said that the island was projected to lose some 100,000 tourists this year alone (The Jakarta Post, 24 August 2018). Lingering impact of tourist arrival next year is not known. Employment and income of local people will inevitably be affected for an unknown period. According to the Association of Indonesia Tour and Travel Agencies, foreign tourists spend US$ 1,200 on average. A quick recovery of the tourism sector is vital for the local economy and livelihood of many people whose income depends largely on tourism. The ILO has accumulated knowledge in crisis responses, local economic development and green tourism. This project contributes to a quicker recovery of the tourism sector and the livelihood of local people, while generating a basis for sustainable development of the island economy. Promotion of eco-tourism would attract tourists and benefit local communities if they were more integrated in tourism. The project aims to facilitate sustainable development of tourism and local economy, the benefit of which would last beyond the recovery from the earthquakes.

Project symbol

IDN/18/51/JPN

Admin unit

CO-Jakarta

Start date

01/11/2018

End date

31/07/2019

Total allocation

99757

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

99757

Development Partners

Japan, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Country/Countries

Indonesia

Outcomes

Outcome 3: Economic, social and environmental transitions for full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all