The Regent of Central Lombok, Pathul Bahri, proposes the construction of an Immigration Office in the district to monitor the movement of foreign nationals who are at a number of points in tourist areas, especially in the Special Economic Zones Mandalika.
Bahri’s proposal was voiced when he met the Acting Governor of West Nusa Tenggara, Gita Ariadi, at the governor’s hall on Monday, 13th November 2023.
“We see an average of 100,000 foreigners per year, and in the end, many stay overnight. Conditions in Kuta Mandalika as a whole from 10 PM to 2 AM WITA/local Lombok time are still busy, and that’s mostly filled with foreigners,” stated Bahri to the acting governor.
Moreover, said Bahri, Lombok International Airport is the main entry point for foreign tourists.
“Today’s airport movement has started to increase in visits. On the other hand, there are, of course, lots of foreigners in Awang Beach, Kerupuk Beach, and Mandalika. Their movements are now increasingly shifting westward to Emong village as well,” he added.
Apart from its natural beauty, Bahri claimed that Central Lombok has also started to become a centre for world-class sports such as MotoGP, paragliding, surfing, and others.
Bahri’s party had also discussed with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights about the importance of building an Immigration office in the district he leads.
“I was asked by the Ministry to write a letter about building an immigration office because of the importance of monitoring foreigners. We have surveyed where it would be built,” said Bahri.
Bahri proposed the immigration office be built next to the Central Lombok Regent’s office, which is land owned by the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government.
The Acting Governor of West Nusa Tenggara, Gita Ariadi, responded favourably to the proposal, and his party will coordinate with the heads of related agencies.
“After this meeting, we will try to evaluate it, and we will pay serious attention to the proposal to establish this Immigration office,” he said.
Regarding its location, Ariadi revealed that discussions with the planning department are ongoing, considering that the proposed land had been planned for other development.
“The plan is to move the Health Polytechnic to the east of the Regent’s Office, but later we will see how far the results of the evaluation are,” added Ariadi.