Up in the Air: A New Megaresort for Lombok? -- The south coast of Lombok is currently the site of a proposed US$600-million megaresort by United Arab Emirates investment company Emaar Properties.
An agreement signed between Emaar and the Indonesian government in 2008 allows Emaar and the state-owned Bali Tourism Development Corporation to develop 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) along 7km (4 miles) of the Kuta and Tanjung A'an beaches over the next 12 years into a world-class resort and residential community of 10,000 luxury villas, eight hotels, and two 18-hole golf courses. It is rumored the project will include Ritz-Carlton and Armani resorts.
The global economic crisis of 2009 has since put the project in doubt, but Emaar says they will still go ahead. If the development takes place, the south coast -- and Lombok by association -- will be totally transformed. Investors and land speculators have been snapping up property on the south coast ever since the news broke.
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