Nias to copy Bali's blueprint
Following on from last week’s ‘Lombok Shock’ story and reports of a concrete path built on the reef at Nias, comes news of further development, well beyond the scope of a mere pathway.
In an article titled 'Nias to be world-class surfing destination', the Jakarta Post this week reported that the Indonesian government has, “its sights set on transforming Nias into an international tourist destination.”
During the recent Sail Indonesia festival on Nias, Luhut Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s minister of planning and policy co-ordination, said, “We see Nias as one of the most popular regions for surfing. We have organised international surfing competitions here. The tourism minister is also present here. We are determined to make Nias better.”
Sail Indonesia aims to intensify development and promote tourism in remote regions of Indonesia. This year’s organisers called Nias “Indonesia’s best-kept secret”.
As anyone who’s travelled to Indonesia recently can attest, development is accelerating. The Jokowi government reversed the long term trend of resource profits flowing into Jakarta, spending big on infrastructure for the outer provinces
In 2017, Jokowi drafted a tourist strategy to create “10 new Bali’s” across Indonesia, a plan that aims to replicate the economic effects of tourism in Bali. Pandjaitan said the government, “planned to turn the region into a world-class surfing hub...to attract more tourists.”
Recently Swellnet spoke to Mark Flint about the path being erected on the reef at Nias. Flint said Nias has already become an attraction for Indonesia’s middle class with visitors taking selfies with surfers.
The government plans to increase the trickle of visitors to Nias by removing bureaucratic hurdles to development, in an effort to, “make it easier for foreign investors to realise their investments”.
“It will improve the country’s investment climate,” said Pandjaitan. “It will have a positive impact on tourism.”
Few can begrudge the material advances of local Indonesians, however surfers will feel conflicted. The only people who claim that crowds enhance the surfing experience are government official, tourist bureaus, and the WSL. Travelling surfers will take the news ruefully. Nias has been a 'world class destination' for forty years, turbocharging development and replicating Bali at Sorake Beach will forever alter the experience.
Comments
Headline: Nias to be renamed 'Porpoise Spit'.
Gold.
Does it have as many waves as Bali? I am sure there are a few more around but Bali has them coming out everywhere.
It’s not just promoted to the surfers , the surfers are the attraction.
Guesstimate- less than 5 percent of tourists to Bali surf. The Indo government just wants bums on seats , they don’t care if they’re surfers or not.
Be interesting to see what they mean by “ opening investment opportunities “ for foreigners. Freehold possession ? Extremely unlikely and the end of Indo as we know it .
PS - Duly noted that pro contests are used to encourage and justify the strategy.
Nice work , fucksticks.
Yeah, surfers are the attraction. I get that. It's why on one level outrage from surfers makes little sense, however just using surfing as a pretext for development gets me angry.
'The Invest Islands' is the big project from Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation and they detail all types of land titles, none of which include freehold.
Who knows what deals are done between the WSL and the Indonesian government .
One thing is certain as far as I am concerned the WSL and the BIG companies that are making money out of surfing don’t have us “the average surfer “ in mind they won’t be happy until the whole world is surfing and buying their products (Russia China India etc).
As profits go up another surf spot is lost until they are all gone and all “the average surfer “ is left with overcrowded surf breaks and memories of what surfing used to be like.
Memla unfortunately Nias doesn't come anywhere close to Bali in terms of number and variety of breaks. Yes there are a couple of other waves about but all are 20-30 min bike ride and none have the quality or consistency of The Point and are more susceptible to wind. There's some more breaks at Asu and Bawa but they're the equivalent of Nusa Lombongan / Chenigan to Bali.
The Point is already chockas no doubt it will become more of a zoo with the general tourist push.
Although as others have commented there already seems to be lots of Indos on holidays who rock up in what look like guided tours that just go there so they can get a photo with a western surfer.
I would think if the government are willing to throw a billion dollars at a motorbike race there is no reason to think they will not throw similar wads of cash at developing the roads to link those spots to the major hub.
Operators running bus and high speed boat services to breaks. All in one transport ticket in a multi break area. Just need the supporting infrastructure. It will get built.
Mobs of Russian Surf schools in the lineup of Nias - sounds like a swell time!
Don’t be a xenophobe . It’s a great opportunity to cross pollinate our cultures.
Well, that's sad & unjustified.
Yeah, people that promote surfing and surf spots are a real bummer hey.
haha nice one.spot on right there.
The proposal ignores a few things. Getting to and from Lagundri Bay is still a mission. Nothing like it was but still a long drive from the airport in Gunung Sitoli. Also there's no beach, just hard reef in Lagundri Bay. So maybe they are thinking of another beach on Nias. Not too long ago a major resort was developed on the point at Lagundri by the then President's son Tommy. Sadly it sits in ruins now. The money would have been better spent on infrastructure such as sewerage and waste disposal, roads or a hospital for the locals. I hope they get it right this time but I'm not very confident.
im pretty sure theres an airport going in 15mins from lagundri. also on the losmen side of the new 'path' they are filling in with sand to make a makeshift beach. its a mess at the moment with rocks/dirt everywhere. my thoughts, with the wqs, the path, and the supposed new airport they will be hoping to upgrade the contest to a 'CT in 5 years time...
The airport has supposedly been coming for the last 5 to 10 years i heard they actually did start building it, and if you go on google earth you can see what looks like runways etc but between 2014 and the most recent 2018 sat pics looks like no progress.
Regano did you see what Tommy did to Dreamland beach on Bali around 10 years ago. Sounds like he moved onto Nias. Dreamland is now a dog with rabies he absolutely destroyed it.
I haven't been to Bali for many years. I've only heard of what happened at Dreamland. Its sad that things like this happen in a country like Indonesia where there is so much need.
Medium has a piece on Bali land Mafia and Dreamland
Bali has a blueprint?
I reckon the Indos are barking up the wrong tree with Nias as a major tourism destination.
It's not developed enough for an international airport, nor convenient enough for easy domestic flights with access out of Jakarta and Medan. If tourism does go ballistic in Nias it will need to be resort-based tourism because there simply isn't enough attractions to draw a crowd. I can't see jungle trekking or cultural tourism (gawking at the natives) drawing a crowd.
You'd need some pretty swanky accommodation to draw people away from other proposed tourism hotspots like Lake Toba, Lombok and Bintam that have way more things-to-do and much better access.
Can you even imagine what the unrivalled beauty of the Ments will be subjected to in the next few years ?
Did that Sentosa group ever start any of there Mentawai Bay development in the Ments ?
ha ha..i saw that.
They are so clueless when it comes to surfing and tourism.
Agree 100% with Vic local, Nias is okay but nothing special, not that much to see or do and its not even really suitable for resort type tourism, no real nice beaches or tropical islands except up north.
Hope they dont read this but Mentawai and Telos has much more potential for mainstream resort type tourism, idiclic tropical islands and beaches, snorkelling, diving etc
Surfing wise its a big island but apart from Sorake it has very limited options, most of the coast is just long beaches that aren't that pretty compared to most Indo beaches.
But the weather is crap Indo as it misses the trade winds. You get a zillion changes in a day and is super hot and sweaty and nothing ever dries out. Jock rash is something you have to live with, and you have to watch you don't get killed by a falling coconut on muddy and impenetrable island bush, and the surf is chockas. You end up living on a tiny fringe of sand which has a gradient of 1:3. Not my cup of tea. Bali weather in winter is completely different and combined with its depth of traditional cultural and variety in all things make it truly one of a kind. Personally can't see the attraction for non surfing tourists anywhere in the Mentawais. They have much more potential going east of Bali I reckon (don't mention that to them though) as it is more accessible. Maybe its just me coming from Victoria which has hot, dry summers, can't do super hot and sweaty.
Was thinking more just Maldive bubble style resorts, where most of those negative factors arrest a factor, but hope it doesn't happen, i think the big problem that scares big investment off is how seismic active the area is.
Yes your right. When was there the new wharf had disappeared into the mud at Siberut from a recent earth quake. Then, probably a few months when we were back home Padang was destroyed. The first floor terrace I had a cup of tea in the morning on was now a ground floor one amongst rubble. Poor lady running the show lost the lot.
And what happens after all this development and then a massive tectonic shift happens again, but this time ruins the wave?
Fuck me
I'm glad that I just went there
Went over there for the first time this year. Didn’t surf Lagundri but went out to Asu.
Tell you what with roads that bad I can’t believe owners are spending the money on the surf camps that they do. It doesn’t feel like much would have to happen a road / bridge to collapse leaving the islands very tough to access. I’d imagine Lagundri would be in the same boat.
*Comes with free bouts of Ross river and malaria.*
Indonesia is a very corrupt and lawless nation from the top to the bottom. The military rules on behalf of the oligarchs aided and abetted by US of A and Australia. Religion on behalf of the military suppresses dissent from those who seek to change the situation. Muslim militia were complicit in Suharto's pogroms against Sukarno's socialists of the 1960s, the Timor Leste pogroms between the 70's and 90's and in today's oppression of West Papuans.
Indonesia is a very resource rich country. The extent of abject poverty and deprivation, the absence of public transport, public housing, public schools, health care, public parks, footpaths, sanitation, and clean water are reflective of the failed state that Indonesia is. Meanwhile Indonesia's neighbors, with the exception of Australia, are pulling themselves out of the 18th century into the 21st century.
With this situation in mind, that we can involve our selves in a debate about a tourism venture or take a surf adventure into Indonesia suggests the 18th century destitution that is Indonesia has an assured future.
You're describing Indonesia circa 1980s and 90s. It's a very different country today. Did you know that Indonesia is predicted to have the 4th largest economy in the world by 2050? It's current economic performance in terms of GDP growth is way stronger than Australia, and it's a vibrant democracy in a region that has seen most democracies slip back into dictatorships. Indonesia isn't perfect ,as seen with the current crisis in West Papau, but you're analysis of the country is complete crap Stephen.
"If you were to choose a location in the developing world in which to witness the challenges facing airline safety — the ossification of regulations and in many places their creeping irrelevance to operations; the corruption of government inspectors; the corruption of political leaders and the press; the pressure on mechanics, dispatchers and flight crews to keep unsafe airplanes in the air; the discouragement, fatigue and low wages of many airline employees; the willingness of bankers and insurers to underwrite bare-bones operations at whatever risk to the public; the cynicism of investors who insist on treating air travel as just another business opportunity; and finally the eagerness of the manufacturers to sell their airplanes to any airline without restraint — you would be hard pressed to find a more significant place than Indonesia." New York Times Magazine Sept 20 2019
The failed state remains.
Yeah sure Indonesia is a developing country but like Vic local says that analyst is way outdated.
Shit is getting better all the time im seeing it get better both under SBY and even more so Jokowi, blows me away the infrastructure. developments in the last 10 years, and not just city areas but remote areas, airports, schools, harbours, major roads, mains electricity in remote regions, new transport links, all kinds of things.
Ive personally seen villages and peoples lives change because of infrastructure development, even simple things like better transport links allow a better variety of foods and goods, or something like mains electricity go on is huge, because it allows refrigeration, which is huge in the tropics.
Even health care has improved Jokowi brought in a a health care scheme years ago, ive seen my wifes family use it and one of my friends that lives in a remote village had pneumonia and had to use the system.
As for schooling, its not something i know heaps about, but there wasn't any shortage of public schools where my wife lived and i can think of two new schools being built in remote areas i surf.
Yeah Indonesia has corruption but it still only ranks 89 of 180 countries and ranks ahead of every other country in SE bar Malaysia and Singapore.
To me its seems like its getting better and Indonesians have told me its getting better, just simple things like paying for your drivers licence instead of doing the test are no longer possible.
If you want to talk about failed states in the region East Timor is a better example, and god knows what's going to become of them once renewables set in and their main source of income petroleum becomes worthless as they dont produce anything so have to import everything, even as it is people go to West Timor (Indonesia) to shop for basic goods because everything is so expensive in East Timor.
And comparing Indonesia to its neighbours again its only really Singapore and Malaysia that are really moving ahead, PNG is a complete basket case as is Cambodia, East timor (see above)
Im no expert on these countries but seems like Thailand and Phillipines have some quite big issues..hello Duterte..no idea on vietnam
But yeah like Vic Local said Indonesia has one of the fastest growing economy's in the world, and a very fast expending middle class, it will actually become more important to Australia as a trade partner etc as times goes on, far from a failed country.
Good summary info-dreaming. 20 years ago, Indonesia was ranked as the world's most corrupt country and things have steadily improved since that bastard Soeharto got the arse. And before anyone gets all high and mighty re corruption, Australia's index has deteriorated every single year since 2013 while Indonesia's index continues to improve.
One of the best things Indonesia has done is restructure the power base to District-level rather than provincial level. This brings the government much closer to the people resulting in infrastructure spending on hospitals, schools, airports etc rather than shameless infrastructure spending for the sole benefit of big business mates of Soeharto. The one weak spot I'd really love to see more money thrown at is education. The teachers are generally terrible, and it's one thing that is really holding the country back.
It,s interesting how non surfers are travelling to Nias now to gawk at the surfers. You have become part of the attraction.
In Thailand normal tourists are flocking to the declining sex tourism areas 'Pattaya,Patong etc " to gawk at the hookers and their customers.
Selfie with a Tranny anyone ? That will be 200 baht sir.
Maybe I should have bought the point off Amadolin all those years ago.
They can have it
I guess they'll need to do something about the malaria there.
Nias- re mentawai development.
The mentawai has very poor geology for large concrete infrastructure, the ideal sites for development are on the nor east sides of the islands and all are sinking. There are no local basalt deposits and no salt free sand deposits, no basalt or sand means it all comes in by barge, a very expensive undertaking.
Also it is clearly primed for a tsunami in the near future.
My money would be slated for Bali or somewhere in Nusa Tengara presently, investing in the mentawai post tsunami.
I would be surprised if any of the oft talked about airport and tourist developments in the mentawai broke ground pre tsunami.
Needless to say I feel blessed to have witnessed the place pre development explosion. Most would not know what is going on inland but it’s safe to say that the trans mentawai highway scheme is the death knell for the ancient mystic forrest’s that you see is the hazy distance over the crest of a wave.
Been a while since ive seen you around here.
Is the trans Mentawai highway the one from Tuapajet down south?
Haven't been there for a few years, but drove down towards Sioban a few years back (with Victor before he passed away) and was blown away by how wide and good that road is.
15 years ago 200 metres from the port the road was like a rocky 2nd gear track, blows me away how fast the development is out the back there, even solar farms.
Place is booming and not related in anyway to surfing.
BTW. true about the sand and salt, other problem is the calcium in coral mix used in cement that has a reaction over time and breaks down.
Hi Indo Dreaming,
The Trans Mentawai project is a road network linking all major ports and towns across every large island in the Mentawai chain.
Sipora was started first but Siberuit now has a large road network underway from Pei-Pei to Muara Siberut, inland to Madobag, then all the way North. The forest is falling in it's wake, sadly a lot of the forest is virgin old grown with stupendously large trees and unbroken canopy up to 60m tall which is very tall for a tropical forest. There are also pockets of wildly diverse swamp forest and some of the inland soils are composed of meters deep peat bogs (Which are being drained) and are fascinating for the perfectly preserved tree parts visible in the excavations meters below the surface.
Regarding Sipora I have heard that in dry weather you can ride a motor bike from Tua pejat to HT's in three hours! I will definitely try that next year as I'm sure it will be an adventure but very difficult carrying a board bag!
We have been going back at Christmas time and I haven't really focussed on surfing as family events seem to take precedence nowadays. Victor died while we were there last year. Julie seemed well running around in their mad max jeep!
I have still been spear fishing quite a lot though and have noticed an explosion in the numbers of crown of thorn star fish inhabiting and consuming the reefs. I fear that the 20-30 year old coral growth (Lumps on top of larger dead slabs killed by mid 80's-90's red tide events (Of which I only have scant information)) is now a perfect fit to the base of the crown of thorn and is being consumed voraciously!.
Many environmental troubles and I'm sure we will witness a steady degradation in forest cover, water quality, coral reef health and fish stocks etc, not to mention the rather rapid degradation of any remaining indigenous culture.
I'm realistic and understand that nothing will stop this development. After centuries of colonial rule I can assure any westerner out there that your opinion on, or desire to curb development will fall on deaf ears anywhere in Indonesia. We live in Australia now because I can make at least $300/day whereas there you're lucky to make $300/ month! Many of my friend inland are lucky to make $40/month cash from their small farms. Conditions are better on the coast but not by much. My brothers in law (Yes there are many) work various jobs, one on a resort and he makes $150/ month and supports a young family. Another works on one of the new wood/bamboo fired power plants they have built in Siberut for the same income.
How could you not hold out hope for and support economic development given those circumstances? I agree that the process towards that goal is clumsy, and plagued by greed, corruption and cronyism but it will happen albeit with a devastating environmental impact.
On a positive note, the development of massive oil palm plantations was quashed by local protests and government lobbying a number of years ago but with the new highways the threat is only building once again.
Post script:
I would love to see the place remain untouched and pristine, cheap and uncrowded, environmentally protected and lovingly nurtured. I would love to be able to pay $5/ night to stay and surf there, nights lit by Stronken lamp eating fresh crab with cabe, surfing tubes with just those lucky enough to have made their way to the spot. But it changes and I've changed. No longer could I bare waking in the middle of the night dreaming and longing for the place, my heart gripped by feelings of loss, so I made a choice to accept it and now as I look into the beautiful eyes of my 7 year old Mentawaian boy and his Mentawaian mother my heart is filled with love and joy and the memories are all good and once again I can sleep at night.
Lets hope they get the development right over there and sorry for the long winded reply!
Much appreciated. Thanks for writing about your experience and knowledge.
You too , Indo. Best of luck in the future.
And where else in the world of surf media would surfers contribute at this personal level on such a wide range of topics ?
Cheers , Swellnet for providing such a unique and valuable resource for surfers.
Same as Blowin, really appreciate the reply, mate.
Thanks for your post, really honest and informative. Great to get some local perspective.
@sasareu Great post, you too Indo.
Agree with everyone else great post sasareu.
And yeah happy i have the memories of staying with coconut farmers in huts with just kerosine lamp, craping in the bush and bathing in the spring at nyang nyang.
Indonesia is a developing third world economy that is aspiring to develop into a first world economy. With a population of over 264 million the majority will remain 3rd world whilst a growing middle class will reap the most benefits of this economy driven development. We live in a world where economy is the driver of government policy, this needs to change as our natural environment suffers at the whim of politicians who are only interested in $$$ & not people & places.