This is why Aussies are flocking to Lombok instead of Bali - International Travel

Nov 08, 2024

Listen carefully to intrepid Aussie travellers returning from their sunburnt sojourns overseas in 2025 and you won't hear the word Bali on their lips. You'll hear this. Words by James Booth.

Australians have a new Indonesian obsession, and it’s not Bali.

Chilling 4-8 hours by ferry to the east of Bali (1.5 to 3 hours if you fast-boat it; 30 minutes if you fly), there is an island with fire-hose worthy waterfalls, sprawling-green jungle, sahara-like beaches, Ubud-worthy yoga-retreats and surf camps sprouting up like mushrooms after heavy rain.

That island? Lombok.

Why is Lombok trending?

Once a remote island only hardcore surfers would make a pilgrimage to (in order to surf the mythical Desert Point, a fickle, dangerous wave on Lombok’s south-west coast), Lombok is now becoming popular with a wider range of Aussie travellers, drawn by yoga retreats, hipster cafes, trendy tattoo parlours and beginner-friendly waves on other parts of the island.

Ekas, Selong Belanak, Tanjung Aan, Seger Reef and Mawi are just some of the waves that get beginner and intermediate surfers excited to wax up their tinted vintage craft.

One Aussie on TikTok said: “When you arrive you immediately feel the difference from Bali. It is so quiet there was no traffic and the prices were even cheaper. I spent an entire week here exploring different parts of the island.”

“There are the same beautiful waterfalls, the same aesthetic accommodation, the same great food but the beaches are even better and there is no traffic and the roads look brand new.”

Another said: “Lombok is like old school Bali. Before there were tourists everywhere.”

Lombok is the ultimate Bali ‘dupe’

Though Lombok doesn’t have the rice terraces of Bali and is slightly drier, it makes up for it by being way less crowded.

Adam Kelly, General Manager of Scoot Australia, says that Lombok is benefitting from the ‘destination dupe’ trend – where one destination is now too busy or where there is better value for the consumer.

“For example, the much-loved Bali destination is being duped for destinations like Lombok in Indonesia, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia or Koh Samui in Thailand,” he says.

“These are all fantastic beach destinations, with great value and new experiences.”

He also says the interest in off-beat locations has been driven by an increasing interest in solo travel, “As more of our passengers are seeking unique experiences and personal adventures”.

“We’ve seen our passengers exploring non-metro destinations, seeking off-the-beaten-path experiences that allow them to connect with local cultures,” Kelly says.

Speaking of which, a recent Surfer piece reported on tourists and locals working together to create an organisation that is empowering the women of Lombok with the gift of surfing (an idea which began over a coffee at the island’s Milk Espresso cafe).

Is Lombok cheaper than Bali?

For Aussies that have visited Bali (or the Gili Islands, which Lombok is a launching pad to) multiple times, Lombok is not just a breath of fresh air. It can also be cheaper. Thought it is slightly more expensive to get to than Bali, once you’re there, you can usually pick up accommodation for better value than you can in Bali.

As The Broke Backpacker explains, Bali is not as cheap as you think. While in Thailand, $16 a night can get you a hut right on the beach… in Canggu that price (for a private room), “will get you a motel-looking joint permeated with the lovely sounds of a million motorbikes”.

Meanwhile, in Lombok, although it’s not as cheap as Thailand, if you stay up north in the mountain towns of Senaru and Bayan (this side of the island is popular with those keen to do the Rinjani volcano hike), you’ll find homestays from $10 a night.

On Lombok’s southern end (one Bali expat recently told me it was a bit like the new Canggu, as it has about three main streets, no high rises, a community of entrepreneurial surfy creatives and a decent coffee shop), in Kuta Lombok, you’ve got a few $30-a-night hostels and then the adults-only hotel Rascals which an Aussie journalist for The New Daily described as, “tThe fanciest hotel we had ever stayed in and cost just $80 a night, with a restaurant-quality a la carte breakfast of tropical fruits, juices and sourdoughs that we looked forward to every morning”.

Skyscanner’s Australia Travel Expert Jarrod Kris confirms the increase in interest in Lombok, revealing flight search data for Lombok is up 22 percent year on year from the major Australian cities, when compared to 2023.

Search data for Lombok, year on year

1. Brisbane to Lombok – 26 percent increase

2. Perth to Lombok – 17 percent increase

3. Melbourne to Lombok – 25 percent increase

4. Sydney to Lombok – 28 percent increase

“Aussies have long loved Bali as a destination for a tropical beach holiday,” Kris says. “However, with it being a highly sought-after location, some travellers are looking for alternative locations that boast affordability, while also being less crowded.

“Lombok also provides travellers with picturesque beaches, a hot, tropical climate, laid-back way of life and diverse marine life. Lombok has quickly become an attractive alternative for Aussies looking for an island escape that’s a little off the beaten track.”

Taking the pressure off Bali

Lombok is part of the Indonesian government’s ’10 Bali’ plan, which aims to increase visitation to other areas in the archipelago in a bid to take some of the pressure off the Island of Gods, which in recent years has changed in character thanks to the prevalence of Aussies, influencers, Russians, digital nomads and Crossfit.

Concerns around pollution, and local people being pushed off their own land have been raised steadily over the years, with documentary makers sounding the alarm on the tearing down of forests as well as the privatisation of coastal areas and water resources, which have allegedly come as part of the plan.

You just have to look at the government-run bulldozing of the cliffs at Uluwatu to protect and build a road to a sacred temple (or parts of the cliffs falling into the water near Impossibles due to a botched private development project) to see the impact increased numbers of people in Bali is having on the island. So while encouraging people to visit other parts of Indonesia might mitigate that, the concern is that development will start to eat at other places, too.

Academics like Nyoman Sukma Arida, a Tourism Faculty lecturer at Indonesia’s Udayana University, warned Bali officials during the pandemic that it needs to stop treating tourists like gods and wean itself off them, despite tourism playing a huge role in the economy.

For a time after the pandemic, we did see Bali crack down on badly behaved tourists and implement numerous tourist taxes and visa schemes. However, tourists still flock there.

It’s also worth remembering that some locals see the positives in the change. In the viral instance of the Uluwatu temple controversy, for instance, one local surfer told Surfline: “When I was a kid, people used to laugh at the idea of living here, but it’s now the hub.

“A lot of people buying land, a lot of new shops. It’s just created the vibe. It’s still one of the best places in the world to go surfing.”

Surfline also pointed out that if you are going to have tourism, you need infrastructure, reporting: “Since 2022, when entry into Indonesia began to normalise, tourism has re-surged, bigger and boomier than ever… and over 200,000 foreigners now live in Bali, adding to the million or more annual visitors.

“On top of this, driven by the same influx of tourists and semi-permanent foreign residents, apartment and villa developments are exploding across Badung.

“Meantime, transport just hasn’t kept up. Anyone who’s tried to get around southern Bali lately knows: the roads are choked.”

There you have it. Maybe it’s no surprise people are heading to Lombok after all.

This article was originally published on escape.com.au. It was published here with permission.