Gili islands in Lombok

Shunee

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Joined
Jul 6, 2019
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I am a huge Gili lover who went there several times. I specifically like Gili meno atmosphere, but I have not gone there for the last 5 years. This year, I am planning a short trip back there, but I am wondering if the islands fully recovered from the damage caused by the last earthquake which I heard made some significant damage to the hotels and people's living. If you happen to live in Lombok or have been to the islands after the earthquake, then please let me know how it was like. Thank you.
 
Imagem can most probably help you, I will connect you through wa,
I spoke with you about her yesterday but I don't think she uses this forum often.
 
Shunee that number does not seem to work. Maybe you can WA me, I will PM you my number. Thanks
 
Everything is back to normal now although it is not like it was used to be, but all activities are normal, I can see lots of tourists getting on and off the public boat in Bangsal. All hotels and other accommodation as well as restaurant are now recovered. I used to live in Lombok until after the quake and just got back from Lombok and also Gili T 2 weeks ago.
 
I don't know about GT or GA, but I went to Gili Meno two weeks ago for two nights and I was shocked and almost on tears, so many many buildings totally broken and I couldn't find the place we were sleeping 7 years ago because it was totally destroy!
I never ever though the earthquake damaged that much Gili, not much news on the TV or on the media about Gili after the earthquake last year.
It was very sad to see this, some rubbles from bungalows and buildings were moved to cover some paths inside of the island but the most of them still there on their places, specially on the west coast of the island and interior.
You can see the damage all over the island, some beautiful buildings are full of cracks, a foreigner living and having business there told me that after the earthquake, there was quite a good movement of people living there and doing things together for the island, but still so much to do.
I cannot avoid to think why "nothing" has been done after one year. specially in a place where the locals and the government could get income from tourists.
There was tourists but not as many as before I was there. although usually GM is the quietest one.
I personally love the Gili and be in an island with not roads packed with motorbikes and cars is a luxury.
 
I don't know about GT or GA, but I went to Gili Meno two weeks ago for two nights and I was shocked and almost on tears, so many many buildings totally broken and I couldn't find the place we were sleeping 7 years ago because it was totally destroy!
I never ever though the earthquake damaged that much Gili, not much news on the TV or on the media about Gili after the earthquake last year.
It was very sad to see this, some rubbles from bungalows and buildings were moved to cover some paths inside of the island but the most of them still there on their places, specially on the west coast of the island and interior.
You can see the damage all over the island, some beautiful buildings are full of cracks, a foreigner living and having business there told me that after the earthquake, there was quite a good movement of people living there and doing things together for the island, but still so much to do.
I cannot avoid to think why "nothing" has been done after one year. specially in a place where the locals and the government could get income from tourists.
There was tourists but not as many as before I was there. although usually GM is the quietest one.
I personally love the Gili and be in an island with not roads packed with motorbikes and cars is a luxury.
It is sad to see it because tourism dropped off to such low levels that the locals have had barely any income to do any rebuilding. If people keep visiting and supporting the tourism industry there it will recover, if they don't it will be a long hard struggle.
 
The best we can do to help, if we cannot actually visit is to help promote it as a tourist destination.
many parts of lombok were not destroyed physically by the quakes/etc. but people just stopped visiting.
There are now new airport links with Australia and this should help too.
Do your best to support places you have visited there by highlighting them , talking about how you enjoyed the place, the beaches, etc. Show photos and help to lift those struggling small businesses profiles.

Maybe the forum/website could do a promotional profile on Lombok/Gilis/Sulawesi to help raise the profile and help the people who were affected by the events of last year?
 
The best we can do to help, if we cannot actually visit is to help promote it as a tourist destination.
many parts of lombok were not destroyed physically by the quakes/etc. but people just stopped visiting.
There are now new airport links with Australia and this should help too.
Do your best to support places you have visited there by highlighting them , talking about how you enjoyed the place, the beaches, etc. Show photos and help to lift those struggling small businesses profiles.

Maybe the forum/website could do a promotional profile on Lombok/Gilis/Sulawesi to help raise the profile and help the people who were affected by the events of last year?
@Bad_azz Thank you for your love to the Gilis and I am sure you are not the only one,but I do appreciate for your concern and kind thoughts.
I do not own the Gilis nor have a single property in the gilis but I do love the gilis as much as you do, but Lombok has become my home and has moved Jakarta as my primary home and I started my business in Lombok in 2011 providing travel packages to both Lombok and Sumbawa.

Some says NTB (abbreviation for Nusa Tenggara Barat/West Nusa Tenggara) stands for 'Nasib Tergantung Bali or in direct translation means "Fate depends on Bali" is ridiculous, the fact that Bali and Lombok have their own cultures and tradition and not to mention nature beauty. Both have their own brand, Bali is known as island of Gods and island with millions of temples whilst Lombok is known as island with millions of mosques. This is called Island Branding, something that some people is not yet familiar with.
I was in Lombok when the big quake hit and my travel business was totally stopped, I did not make any money, I went to Gili T after the quake and it was that time I saw 3 vehicles for the first time moving around and cleaning up the island from wreckage and debris in the island .
But we must move forward and rebuild the gilis, it may not be exactly like it used to be but hopefully much better than before. And I know that this is not the responsibility of the local government ( don't want to go far about it) but also the business and the tourists in promoting the gilis so people will return to the gilis.
But the main issue is not just how to make people return by rebuilding it, but there should be an effort to give education to local people and business how to prepare themselves for natural disaster.
When the big quake hit, I was standing on the streets with many people and we held each other hands and scared, but i saw a guy still inside his supermarket trying to pick up all the merchandise on the floor instead of staying away from building. This shows that some people just don't know yet how to prepare in natural disaster.
So in promoting the gilis is not just about how to make people return by showing pictures of the beautiful beaches and stunning sea ion instagram but also building the natural disaster awareness to the locals.
Northern Gilis is more popular than Southern Gilis (Sekotong) but for those who love islands, southern gilis is most secure and less affected (or none actually) and more peaceful and has many diving sites and snorkeling points.
IMHO
 
Maybe the forum/website could do a promotional profile on Lombok/Gilis/Sulawesi to help raise the profile and help the people who were affected by the events of last year?

If anyone is interested in writing an article on this, as long as it is not commercial (ie. promoting a particular business), we would certainly consider featuring it on our main site.
 

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