Lombok 2045Indonesia's Official Tourism Master Plan
In February 2020, the Government of Indonesia published the Integrated Tourism Master Plan for Lombok — a 444-page, 25-year blueprint prepared by PT AECOM Indonesia. This document is not a government wish list. It is the legal and operational framework that governs every tourism-related planning decision, infrastructure investment, and development approval on Lombok Island through to 2045.
For anyone considering investment in Lombok, understanding this plan is not optional. It defines where government money will be spent, which areas are priority zones, what types of development will be approved, and how the island's carrying capacity will be permanently managed.
Source: PT AECOM Indonesia for the Government of Indonesia (Kementerian PUPR), February 2020
The Vision for Lombok
“Lombok is a sustainable, resilient and inclusive destination providing quality cultural and natural experiences.”
Source: AECOM Integrated Tourism Master Plan for Lombok, prepared for Government of Indonesia (BPIW / Kementerian PUPR), 2020
Three keywords define the vision and have binding implications for development on the island.
Sustainable
Sustainability in the ITMP is a planning condition, not a preference. The plan requires all developments to demonstrate positive outcomes across environmental, social, and economic dimensions simultaneously. It sets a hard annual tourism carrying capacity ceiling of 15.7 million visitors per year — a permanent limit that no single development can breach, and that the 12 million visitor target is deliberately designed to stay below. This protects the quality of the destination — and the value of well-positioned assets — indefinitely.
Resilient
Every tourism development on Lombok must incorporate disaster mitigation planning as a condition of approval. This reflects the lessons of the 2018 earthquakes and the island’s position within an active seismic zone. The practical effect is a higher baseline standard of construction, stricter engineering requirements, and a planning framework that requires long-term asset protection rather than short-term cost-cutting.
Inclusive
Tourism development must deliver direct and indirect economic benefits to local Sasak communities. The ITMP builds community workforce development, local supply chain integration, and cultural preservation into every development phase. This creates a stable, socially supported operating environment — and removes the community conflict risk that has disrupted poorly-planned resort developments in other parts of the region.
The Five Planning Principles
The ITMP translates its vision into five planning principles that govern all development decisions on the island:
Integrated and Inclusive Planning
All development must align with existing legal planning frameworks across sectors, creating certainty and consistency for investors.
Experiential Destinations
Tourism product must connect visitors emotionally, physically, and culturally with the authentic character of Lombok’s landscapes and people.
Equitable Infrastructure
Investment in roads, water, power, and services must be distributed across the island, not concentrated in already-developed areas.
People Resource and Soft Infrastructure
Local workforce development must keep pace with tourism growth, building the human capital to deliver international-standard hospitality.
Responsible Governance
Legal certainty, non-overlapping authority, and full stakeholder participation are required conditions for all development programmes.
Source: AECOM Integrated Tourism Master Plan for Lombok, prepared for Government of Indonesia (BPIW / Kementerian PUPR), 2020
The Horseshoe
The ITMP's development strategy is formally named ‘The Horseshoe’ — a corridor running from the west coast of Lombok through the southern coast, designed to distribute tourism growth more evenly across the island and unlock the underdeveloped south. This is the single most important spatial concept in the plan for investors to understand.
The strategy serves two purposes simultaneously: it relieves the overcrowding and environmental pressure that has built up in the Gili Islands and Senggigi over decades of organic growth, and it directs the next phase of development toward the most valuable and least-developed land on the island — the southern coast.
Source: AECOM Integrated Tourism Master Plan for Lombok, prepared for Government of Indonesia (BPIW / Kementerian PUPR), 2020
Seven strategic directions sit beneath this concept:
Protect the Rinjani Global Geopark
Maintain UNESCO Geopark status and revitalise environmental quality in the Gili Islands.
Equitable Wealth Distribution
Limit further large-scale resort development in the north and redirect investment south and east.
Unlock the Southern Coast
Develop the south as a new tourism destination and support Mandalika with complementary product.
Improve Connectivity
Maximise the role of the airport and ports as regional gateways.
Preserve Agricultural Land
Protect the central island’s LP2B agricultural zone as a supply chain for the tourism economy.
Preserve Cultural Diversity
Embed Sasak community involvement, traditional village tourism, and local cultural marketing in all development programmes.
Develop Thematic Clusters
Create differentiated tourism experiences in each zone, with clear priorities and development phasing.
The Visitor Targets and What They Require
The ITMP models two scenarios. The Business as Usual scenario — organic market development without the government's investment programme — produces 4.1 million visitors by 2045. The Intervention Scenario — the full implementation of the ITMP — produces 12 million visitors, nearly three times the baseline.
The government has committed to the Intervention Scenario. The infrastructure investment to support it is already underway.
Total visitors by 2045 under the Intervention Scenario
Business as Usual scenario — without the investment programme
Hotel rooms required by 2045 (vs 11,582 in 2017)
New hotels with medium specification required
Of commercial land needed for accommodation
Annual carrying capacity ceiling — permanently protected
To accommodate 12 million visitors annually, Lombok requires:
93,975 hotel rooms by 2045, against a 2017 base of 11,582 — a requirement for approximately 82,000 new rooms.
1,702 new hotels with medium specification across 1,276 hectares of commercial land.
Visitor growth phased across five periods:
Foundation and early infrastructure
Acceleration as major infrastructure comes online
Destination maturation and quality consolidation
Full utility infrastructure — water, wastewater, power, and telecommunications — extended to all key tourism sub-districts.
Transport upgrades including the airport-to-Mandalika bypass, the port-to-port sunset road, and international air route expansion.
Source: AECOM Integrated Tourism Master Plan for Lombok, prepared for Government of Indonesia (BPIW / Kementerian PUPR), 2020
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