Lombok Barat, West Nusa Tenggara. A Dutch investor is planning to build a tourist resort in Lombok Island and name it The Palmsat at Gili Tangkong Sekotong, a regional development official said.

The foreign investor was to spend US$1.55 million to transform the area, located 70 km from Mataram, into a “Honeymoon Island”, HM Taufik, head of Lombok Barat District`s Development Planning Board, said.

Taufik did not name the Dutch investor who, he said, was now still attending to the administrative requirements for the project which was to be completed in early 2011 barring unexpected obstacles.

The envisaged resort would include a Gili Tangkong restaurant and bungalows whose designs would be different from those in Bali and other places because the main purpose was to attract tourists visiting Bali.

But the Lombak Barat district chief had asked the investor not to overlook nuances of Lombok culture although he would basically use Balinese designs.

The disrict chief had also asked the investor to use local materials and employ locals in the project, he said.

The project was expected to have a multiplier effect on the local economy and also help improve the people`s welfare, he said.

He added, many investors had shown interest in Gili Tangkong but the local administration had not responded seriously because they failed to show green designs.

Source: ANTARA News — 25 August 2010