The opening of the road aims to provide additional alternative tourist attractions and promote the beauty of the islands around Sekotong sub-district, including its coral.
W Lombok, NTB (ANTARA) – A new speedboat route between Lombok and the Bali Islands was inaugurated on Sunday by West Lombok District Chief Fauzan Khalid in a bid to increase tourist visits to the district .
The route departs from Senggigi Tourist Area in West Lombok District, West Nusa Tenggara Province (NTB), and ends at Nusa Penida Island in Klungkung District, Bali Province, and vice versa.
Before reaching each final destination, the speedboat transits Gede Island, Sekotong Sub-district, West Lombok District.
“The opening of the road aims to provide additional alternative tourist attractions and promote the beauty of the islands around Sekotong sub-district, including its coral,” the district chief remarked.
The route was inaugurated with a test trip, which was conducted around 12:00 a.m. Central Indonesia Standard Time (WITA, which is UTC+8) on Sunday.
Related news: Land certification offers opportunity to beat poverty: Minister
After the inauguration of the road, officials from the district government as well as investors conducted a joint assessment of the various preparations and efforts that need to be undertaken to expedite the operation of the new road.
“We expect the new route to perform optimally, so we need to implement various preparations,” Khalid said.
He further said that he hopes the operation of the speedboat route will encourage the revival of other sectors besides tourism, thus the route will have an economic impact on the community.
Related News: Limit visitors to climb inevitable step of Borobudur temple: minister
Meanwhile, the head of the West Lombok District Tourism Board, Mr. Fajar Taufiq, said that with the opening of the new Nusa Penida-Gili Gede-Senggigi road, the number of tourists visiting the Nusa Penida island could reach 15,000.
However, tourists sometimes have no idea what tourist destinations they can visit next, he noted. Thus, the Nusa Penida-Gede Island-Senggigi road has been opened as an alternative, he added.
“I hope it can go smoothly so that the tourism sector in West Lombok district can recover,” Taufiq added.
The tourist board is working with several travel agents to promote the new route.
Related News: Uno Emphasizes Public Vigilance Over Spread of Omicron Sub-Variants
Related news: Bali Arts Festival helps revive island’s economy and tourism: minister
