Indonesia's 'secret' island a natural peak of escape

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LOMBOK, Indonesia -- As the tropical monsoon clouds roll in, obscuring the towering volcanoes along the Bali coastline, the pristine neighboring island of Lombok seems a world away from Indonesia's premier tourist destination. In fact, it almost is.

This unique isle is to the east of one of the sharpest fissures in nature, the Wallace Line, which cuts through the Indonesian archipelago and divides the flora and fauna of Asia and that of Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and other Pacific islands.

Long overshadowed by Bali, an Asian tourist mecca, Lombok is about 670 miles east of Jakarta. Its 2 million inhabitants hope its exceptional combination of spectacular unspoiled scenery; wonderful beaches; and exotic mosaic of Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian cultures will lure tourists seeking a less-developed tropical escape unobscured by sprawling resorts, fast-food chains, shopping malls or traffic jams.

"Bali has been an internationally well-known brand since the first Hollywood film stars began arriving in the 1920s, while Lombok usually has been overlooked as 'that place near Bali,'" says Kemal K. Kaul, director of the exclusive Oberoi Hotel on Lombok's western coastline. "But we see that attitude changing gradually, and last year was our best so far."

Bali accounts for nearly three-quarters of Indonesia's earnings from tourism, expected to exceed $6 billion this year. Tourist arrivals plunged after the terrorist bombings in 2002 and last year, and the traditional hordes of sun worshippers, scuba divers and surfers have been slow to return to this previously prized paradise.

Surprisingly, the downturn in Bali didn't echo much in next-door Lombok, which had a very good year in 2005. It now ranks among Indonesia's top earners from tourism, although still behind Bali, the island of Batam opposite Singapore, and Java, Indonesia's dominant region.

Although Lombok's residents know their island is a gem for those seeking a true tropical escape where they can experience authentic island life, they believe existing plans to improve the island's infrastructure and accessibility -- including a new international airport -- will bring them out of Bali's shadow and give them a larger slice of the burgeoning tourist trade in Asia.

Recent developments on the island have seen an increase in accommodations of an international standard, such as the Oberoi, the Sheraton Senggigi, Holiday Inn and Novotel hotels.

Officials say the lack of air links has been the main factor hampering tourist growth. "If they could only get direct flights from places like Perth [Australia] and Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], Lombok could position itself as the second beach resort in Indonesia," Mr. Kaul says.

Singapore's Silk Air operates the only international flight to the island. There also are daily flights from Bali, which is just half an hour away by air.