VP Kalla reviews preparation to build hotels in Mandalika

Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla had the opportunity to review the preparations for the construction of four five-star hotels at Mandalika Special Economic Zones in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Saturday.

The Vice President reviewed the area together with Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Zulkifli Hasan and Tourism Minister Arif Yahya.

Arriving on the scene, the Vice President and the group immediately got the exposure of a number of investors who will build the four five-star hotels at the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Central Lombok.

Four hotels to begin construction in 2016, are Pullman Hotel of the investment fund PT Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which is a state-owned enterprise (SOEs) in the field of tourism.

Other hotels are Intercontinental Hotel, Club Med Hotel and Lees Hotel, and the construction of the entire capacity of the 850-room hotels was targeted to be completed within a period of two and a half years.

“Everything has been completed, and there no reason not to accelerate the construction of these four hotels,” the vice president noted.

After hearing the exposure of investors, the vice president then listened to the explanation of President Director of PT ITDC, Abdulbar M. Mansoer, related to the development of Mandalika SEZ within the next 10 years.

In addition to building hotels, ITDC will also build the basic infrastructure needed by the hotels to support their operation, such as the need for clean water that will utilize seawater through the refining process.

This work is done by establishing a partnership with EBD Bauer, one of the American companies engaged in the purification of seawater into fresh water.

Other infrastructure that is in the process of being set up is a solar power plant (SPP) and gas power plants for hotels in Mandalika SEZ, which will not use electrical energy from the State Electricity Company (PLN).

ITDC is also getting constructed the Tourism College (STP), which will create the human resources needed by the hotels.

“Thus, some 20 star-rated hotels will be built in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone within 20 years. For the first stage, we will build four five-star hotels, and we have prepared the basic infrastructure,” said Abdulbar.