AirAsia launches direct flights Singapore – Lombok

AirAsia launches direct flights to Lombok from Singapore

AirAsia will launch 3 direct flights per week from Changi Airport Singapore to Lombok International Airport (Bandar Udara Internasional Lombok) on 28 January 2015.

Great news for all of you who want to travel to the amazing Gili islands. From 28th  January 2015 onward AirAsia will fly 3 times a week (Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) direct from Changi Airport (SIN), Singapore to Lombok International Airport (LOP). With those 3 flights a week, AirAsia is closing the gap left by SilkAir which is flying to Lombok from Singapore 5 times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday).This makes Singapore, the second city in south east Asia (next to Kuala Lumpur) with daily flights to Lombok. There a few different options to go from the airport in Lombok to one of the beautiful Gili Islands. <Read more>

airasia-singapore-lombokTo introduce the new route AirAsia is offering promotional fares as low as S$ 45 (all-in) for a one way flight from Lombok to Singapore and S$ 79 (all-in) for a one way flight from Singapore to Lombok. Please bear in mind that promotional seats are limited and may not be available on all flights, public holidays, school breaks and weekends. The promotion is available for booking from 1st to 7th December and valid for travels from 28th January 2015 to 17th  January 2016.

On Tuesday Sunu Widyatmoko, Chief Executive Officer at AirAsia Indonesia, said, “We are thrilled to launch these routes to provide greater connectivity between Singapore and Indonesia. These routes opening are part of our long-term commitment to promote Indonesian tourism to the world. We hope these new routes will further contribute to the development of tourism and business activities among the three cities.”

On the Singapore side, AirAsia Singapore’s CEO Logan Velaitham, hopes that the new launch will further open up more unique destinations for Singaporeans, as well as driving more traffic to Changi Airport.

TripAdvisor Nominates Gili Trawangan As The Most Affordable Island

Gili T. Nominated by Tripadvisor as Most Affordable Island

The latest TripIndex Island Sun report by TripAdvisor, the world’s most popular travel website, nominates Gili Trawangan as the most affordable island for a trip for two in southeast asia.

 

Gili Trawangan was selected as the cheapest island among sixteen popular tourist island destinations in Southeast Asia, among which Bali, Langkawi Malaysia and Boracay, Philippines in the latest yearly TripIndex Island Sun report. This report compares a standard one night/two days stay for two people. While Sentosa, Singapore, wins for being the most expensive island of the list, Gili Trawangan climbs up to the top of the ranking thanks to its wallet-friendly services. In fact, according to the TripAdvisor report, a stay for two people including a night in a four-star hotel, a two-course meal with juices and beers, a massage and renting bikes and kayaks would sum up to the mere cost of 219 USD, against 777 USD in Sentosa.

Bali and Lombok also rank well, gaining, respectively, a second and fourth position and therefore ranking among the top choice islands in Southeast Asia. The presence of Indonesian holiday destinations in the top three of this list shows that Indonesia remains one of the most affordable short holiday break in Southeast Asia. With its over 15,000 islands, Indonesia is the holiday destination suitable for all island lovers and for any taste and wallet.

 

tripadvisor-gili-trawanganTripIndex Island Sun in Indonesian Rupiah (total cost from most to least affordable)

 

  1. Gili Trawangan, Indonesia: Rp 2,677,194
  2. Bali, Indonesia: Rp 3,086,446
  3. Koh Samui, Thailand: Rp 3,289,854
  4. Lombok, Indonesia: Rp 3,313,408
  5. Cebu, Philippines: Rp 3,732,697
  6. Phuket, Thailand: Rp 3,841,964
  7. PhuQuoc, Vietnam: Rp 4,033,301
  8. Boracay, Philippines: Rp 4,037,519
  9. Penang, Malaysia: Rp 4,364,523
  10. Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand: Rp 4,817,578
  11. Pulau Rendang, Malaysia: Rp 5,262,878
  12. Pulau Tioman, Malaysia: Rp 5,546,234
  13. Langkawi, Malaysia: Rp 5,852,804
  14. Palawan, Philippines: Rp 6,154,142
  15. Bintan, Indonesia: Rp 6,561,569
  16. Sentosa, Singapore: Rp 9,499,234

ARTificial Reef Park Lombok

Artificial Reef Park Lombok

A dead coral reef in the waters off Lombok’s Senggigi Beach will be given new life.

In May 2014  Indonesia’s artist Teguh Osternik will start an ARTificial reef park with an Bio Rock art-installation. 

art-ificial-reef-park-lombok-Teguh-Ostenrik-welding

“Indonesia has the world’s highest coral reef biodiversity and only six percent is still in a pristine state. The reasons for the loss are many, from fishing with dynamite to global warming […]. When a natural forest or ocean or river provides for you and then threatened, you better do everything you can to give back.” (Delphine Robbe, reef restoration specialist at Gili Eco Trust).
That is the reason why the Lombok Hotel Association (LHA) the Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), with support by Indonesian-based Gili Eco Trust made the decision for these collaboration.
A dead coral reef in the warm tropical waters off Lombok’s Senggigi Beach will be given new life starting May 3 by Indonesia’s acclaimed artist Teguh Osternik, who will “electrify” his metal sculptures with a revolutionary scientific process that turns dissolved minerals in seawater into Biorock, or “seament.”
The project with its planned on-going art installations, is being described as “an underwater art museum” that will eventually extend the length of Senggigi Beach, Lombok’s popular visitor destination. The artist himself calls it an “ARTificial reef park,” a place for viewing art while snorkeling and diving amongst marine life.
“I dove that reef for years for the abundance of shrimp and squid and lobster,” said Teguh Ostenrik, the project’s inspiration and founder. “I stopped for a few years while in Europe and when I came back, the reef was sadly a lifeless desert. This project allows me to have a part in revitalizing a coral reef and to do it through my art.”
Using scrap steel salvaged from various sources, Teguh has created two-meter-high sculptures that will be anchored to the dead and broken up reef and connected to a low-voltage electrical current generated from a floating solar panel. “This will cause minerals in the water to form and adhere to the sculpture,” said Delphine Robbe, reef restoration specialist at Gili Eco Trust, a consultant in the project. “Live coral fragments are then transplanted from other reefs and because the Biorock is so similar to natural coral reef material, a new garden grows, often at two or three times the rate of a natural reef.”
She adds, “The electrical current is what attracts the marine life. All those artificial reefs using everything from airplanes to ships to old railroad cars have proven to be a disappointment, rusting away and polluting the sea. Sculptures were used in Mexico’s massive Mesoamerican Reef some years ago as an example, but all they seemed to attract were sponges and algae. The electrification is the key. And it is completely safe for swimmers and marine life.”
The project is hailed as not just eco-friendly, but also something that will support Lombok’s fast-growing visitor industry. As general manager of the Sentosa Resort in Senggigi and chairman of the Lombok Hotel Association, Stephane Servin knows what the death of a reef means.
“We can’t pick up and move our hotels when the reef dies,” he said, “so obviously it’s plain common sense to do whatever’s possible to preserve and protect the natural features that brought visitors here to begin with. And if possible, repair and recreate them using Biorock science and at the same time we bring back the livelihoods for so many who relied on a healthy reef.”
art-ificial-reef-park-lombok-Teguh-OstenrikTeguh said the first of his art pieces will be positioned off the beach from de Quake restaurant, located approximately midday way along Senggigi Beach. In order for the project to grow as it should and maintain a desired aesthetic as any other quality gallery, Teguh is looking for a qualified curator to help decide which pieces to add, from both local and international artists.
Interest also has been shown by sponsors, including mining companies to donate the steel to be used in the sculptures, along with hospitality groups to help pay for the art. Stephane Servin says interested individuals or commercial enterprises should contact the Lombok Hotel Association. “Naturally, we are completely devoted to giving something back and grateful for those interested in this worthy initiative.”
Biorock reef restoration projects exist throughout the world, from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, from Panama to Papua New Guinea to Thailand and Indonesia. Two of the largest projects are in Indonesia at Pemuteran with the Karang Lestari and the Gili Islands with the Gili Eco Trust.

Text and picture source: ARTificial Reef Park Lombok