- Residents of Tanjung Aan Beach on the Indonesian island of Lombok say they were evicted with little notice or compensation as the Mandalika tourism project advances, leaving many without livelihoods or alternatives.
- The government-controlled developer has defended its process, citing compensation paid in a different land zone, but locals say support didn’t reach the coastal community now being cleared.
- Perspectives diverge sharply: locals describe loss, fear and declining income, while some foreigners and investors argue the development is legal, overdue and ultimately beneficial.
- Younger Lombok residents highlight deeper systemic issues — weak regulation, rising costs and limited opportunities — saying tourism growth increasingly serves visitors, not locals.
TANJUNG AAN BEACH, Indonesia — Here on the southern coast of Indonesia’s Lombok Island, dozens of residents have been told to dismantle their food stalls and leave the shoreline to make way for the Mandalika tourism development project. Once a place where families sold coconuts, rented out surfboards and cooked for visitors, Tanjung Aan Beach is now lined with debris, temporary shelters and the remains of the structures that stood for years.
“I’ve had my warung [food stall] here for more than a decade,” says Ani, who now sells snacks from a table built with scrap wood. “They told us to move, but they didn’t give us a clear place to go.”
The Mandalika project is part of Indonesia’s “10 New Balis” strategy, meant to establish tourism hubs in lesser-known parts of the archipelago and boost international visitors. A race circuit built as part of the project has already hosted international events like the MotoGP and World Superbike races, with resorts and other facilities still being developed.
But while officials have promoted the jobs and infrastructure they say the project will bring, many residents say they were given little notice before being told to leave, and that they received no compensation or alternative livelihood assistance. Their accounts offer a picture of a community trying to adapt while watching their source of income disappear.
Promised aid, uncertain realities
For many, the beach was more than a workplace: it was identity, community and belonging.
“Life here used to be peaceful,” says Asun, who until recently owned a food stall by the shore. “We sold fresh fish, tourists ate at the warungs.”
With the construction of the tourism complex, many locals have been displaced. Some received official letters; others say they were evicted without real alternatives.
“They told us we would get compensation, but nothing ever happened,” Asun says.
The developer, the state-controlled Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), maintains it has followed legal procedures and compensated affected landowners. In 2021, the company announced it had paid 27.7 billion rupiah (about $1.9 million at the exchange rate back then) for land acquisition in an area known as Penlok 2, a cluster of plots located inside the Mandalika Special Economic Zone and directly linked to the racetrack development. ITDC described the process as a “humane approach,” offering not only financial compensation but also housing options, livelihood support and negotiated resettlement.
However, this compensation specifically applied to Penlok 2, an inland enclave near the circuit, and not to the coastal Tanjung Aan, where the current evictions and demolitions are taking place.
Some locals say that even if alternatives were provided, they rarely worked in practice. New residential areas were too far from traditional livelihoods. Fishermen, for example, would have to travel 3-4 kilometers (about 2-2.5 miles) to reach the sea. That’s why many resisted relocation.
“What’s the point of living there if my boat is here?” a boat owner who takes surfers out to the breaks tells Mongabay. “It’s a completely different place. That’s not a real option. If they sell the ocean, I’ll move, but they can’t sell the ocean, right?”
The government maintains that the residents and entrepreneurs occupying the Tanjung Aan coastline are squatters with no legal land rights.
Ahmed, a business owner, says he agrees to some degree with the government’s version.
“It’s true, this land is not legally ours and we were here informally,” he says.
“I only asked for one thing: to build something simple for us first, just one small block along the beach where we could continue our business. I would even pay for it, at least we could live safely in one space. But their answer was that there was no place for us.”
‘I live day be day’
The same stretch of land is seen very differently depending on who you ask: Locals who feel pushed out, government officials selling progress, and companies promoting visions of economic opportunity.
For many, the feelings are fear, anger and grief at the loss of livelihoods.
Asun, a warung and boat owner who has worked in Tanjung Aan Beach for years, says life has changed a lot.
“You can see, it’s quieter now. Very hard,” he says. “Before, it was easy: many tourists from abroad and across Indonesia. I earned 4 million rupiah [$240] a month. Now, if I’m lucky, 300,000 [$18]. No tourists, no people, no money.”
Asun says he fears for the future.
“I live day by day. I don’t know how long I can stay here or work like this,” he says. “Before, there was life here: bonfires, grilling, people staying overnight … Now there’s nothing. It’s so different. And it feels unsafe. Some bad people come. It’s quiet. The police also come every day in big cars, black uniforms. We’re scared of them too. Their presence doesn’t make us feel protected, but watched, as if we are strangers on our own land.”
Asun questions the wisdom of building grandiose resorts in a place like Lombok.
“Why would tourists want buildings?” he says. “Your country already has nicer buildings. People come to Indonesia for nature, raw landscapes. Tourists who come here love the water. It’s clean, safe and calm. Maybe the best beach, no wind, no current. They don’t come here for buildings. They come for nature.”
Those who see opportunity
Not every voice is against the project.
“The beach is public. The land behind it belongs to the government and ITDC,” says Alice, an Italian woman who has lived here for four years. “If you want to build something, you need permits, you need to pay taxes, you need a waste system, and [the local entrepreneurs] never did that. Construction will happen, yes, but not on the beach itself. Locals can still stay.”
Residents, she says, had plenty of time to adapt to the development plans.
“They got three letters but didn’t care. They had more than three years to prepare. Some warung owners even own villas, cars and other businesses. They just do not think long-term,” Alice says.
A foreign investor established in the area also sees Mandalika as positive.
“The idea is similar to Nusa Dua in Bali, a beach with resorts,” he says, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But this time it is more sustainable, because tourism has changed and people are more conscious now.” He insists facilities like roads and hospitals exist thanks to ITDC. He also says the project he’s investing in considers locals: “The company’s biggest motivation is caring for people. We are aware that at the beginning nothing could work without locals’ help, so we will do it in the best way to also help local people.”
Working on the ruins of home
Some locals now work on the very construction sites reshaping their home. The jobs bring income but also inner conflict. Most avoid speaking openly, but they tell Mongabay that having a resort on this beach is a bittersweet prospect.
“It’s good, because we have jobs. But bad, because we don’t want buildings here,” says a construction worker sitting with young colleagues. “It depends on how they build. If they respect nature, fine. But if they damage it, we’ll be sad again.”
This ambivalence captures the paradox: progress creates work, but undermines belonging.
The voice of a young local: ‘We lost long ago’
Fisky Amrina, a 24-year-old who grew up in Lombok, gives a point of view that adds nuance often missing from the debate.
“Let’s be clear: I don’t support what’s happening,” she says. “But even now, how much is a coconut at the warungs? Thirty thousand rupiah [$1.80]. For locals, that’s too expensive. Foreigners who complain about losing the warungs are upset because they’re losing their cheap luxury. But for me, for my friends, for all of us who can no longer afford it, we already lost long ago.”
For her, the issue is not just resorts, but the absence of regulation and viable alternatives for locals.
“The government should do better. What is it really doing for us? It should provide decent jobs, fair wages, transparency in communication … not just prioritize money for themselves. The truth is, this land belongs to the state and ITDC. We can only walk here and, if we’re lucky enough to get a job, we can stay. Otherwise, we just watch it change from a distance. Isn’t that sad?”
Fisky’s words reflect a contradiction felt by Lombok’s youth: on one hand, they welcome tourism as a source of income; on the other, they feel the region is being reshaped exclusively for visitors.
“Everything being built now is for tourists: restaurants, villas, gyms,” she says. “What is being built for locals? Nothing. Nothing is for us. I studied politics, but the only decent jobs are in tourism. The government has failed in other sectors.”
When asked about the future, her response returns to the central point: political responsibility and regulation.
“I don’t say tourists should leave. But there must be limits. It shouldn’t be so easy to buy land, open businesses, or set prices locals can’t afford. The power lies with the government, it must protect its people. Just be mindful with your people.”
Banner image: Three locals observing the ruins of their former warung. Image by Helena Ureta for Mongabay.
References:
Antara News. (2022). ITDC selesaikan pembayaran lahan Enclave Penlok 2 KEK Mandalika. Mandalika Antara News. https://mandalika.antaranews.com/berita/2104554/itdc-selesaikan-pembayaran-lahan-enclave-penlok-2-kek-mandalika
Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). (2021, August 31). Melalui pendekatan humanis, masyarakat yang berada di area dalam sirkuit Mandalika telah pindah secara sukarela. ITDC Press Release. https://www.itdc.co.id/press-release/melalui-pendekatan-humanis-masyarakat-yang-berada-di-area-dalam-sirkuit-mandalika-telah-pindah-secara-sukarela-20210831112356
Antara News. (2023). ITDC: Pengembangan kawasan Tanjung Aan Mandalika Lombok sesuai aturan. Mataram Antara News. https://mataram.antaranews.com/amp/berita/470929/itdc-pengembangan-kawasan-tanjung-aan-mandalika-lombok-sesuai-aturan
ITDC Press Release (March 2021) https://www.itdc.co.id/press-release/didukung-kemenparekraf-ri-itdc-bayarkan-uang-ganti-untung-rp-277-miliar-untuk-pembebasan-lahan-enclave-di-mandalika-20210330041111
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