I went to the main "Gili" islands a few years ago. At that time, I thought Gili Trawangan was already starting to creak at the seams. (It's a very tiny island you can circumnavigate on foot in less than 90 minutes).
That hasn't stopped "developers" there. The assault is well and truly on! Thank god it's not big enough for an airport, (it might have been if they'd cut the "hill" down - not much room for anything any more). Gili Meno and Gili Air seem to be going the same way.
The "international airport" on Lombok has been operating for some time now. I mean by that that it's been possible to fly there from Singapore. Sure - the runway can't take an Airbus A380, yet, but neither can Bali's sad airport with its one runway. Hasn't stopped Bali's "growth", as far as I can see.
I think that when Lombok's international airport is fully up and running, the same thing will happen there as what happened in Bali. More tourists, more hotels, more golf courses, more supermarkets, more "disruption" for the locals. (As well, of course, more job opportunities.)
The main difference between West Lombok now and what's been happening on Bali for decades, is that Lombok has a chance
not to make the same mistakes. However, given that the rape of Lombok is already an advanced work in progress, I fear that it'll go the same way as other "successful" enterprises.
Some of us by-standers would do well to re-echo sentiments such as:
...I echo Mimpi in that I hope Kuta Lombok never goes the way of Kuta Bali. In fact, I hope Lombok doesn't go the way of Bali as far as overdeveloped tourism goes full stop. I don't hold much hope though if the international airport does ever get finished...
Investing in Lombok?
Maybe, but you better hurry up.
As an aside - I was on Nusa Lembongan, (next to Nusa Penida - a 30 minute fast boat ride from Sanur), a few days ago. A similar growing scenario there. It's a tiny island, too, and the southern coastline is full of hotels, villas, bars, restaurants, internet cafes, etc. I went to a "mini-market" there but all they had were two aisles of Indonesian biscuits.
I tell a lie. There were three or four Lembongan beauties sprawled out on the tiles watching Indonesian TV soap operas.
No one should worry about an international airport there. Then again, the way Indonesian and Balinese planners are going with the new you-beaut airport on Bali, (wherever they finally decide to stick it), Nusa Penida is not
that much more stupid a location than Negara.
I can see it now: A bridge from
N. Penida to Bali...maybe an undersea tunnel? Ssshhh! Don't tell any one. Maybe they haven't considered it yet.
And the sea-weed farmers of Penida could welcome new arrivals with rings of sea-weed. Something like that.