Strategies to Increase Tourist Visits in the Era of the Covid Pandemic to the Island of Lombok, Province of Nusa Tenggara Barat Indonesia

Eka Agustiani, Suprianto and Siti Sriningsih

Department of Economic and Development Studies, Faculty of Economics and Business University of Mataram Mataram, 83114, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

*Corresponding Author Suprianto Article History Received: 30.05.2022 Accepted: 10.06.2022 Published: 20.06.2022 Abstract: The purpose of the study was to analyze qualitatively about “Strategies to increase tourist visits during the Covid-19 pandemic era to the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Especially regarding the implementation of the Motor GP at the Mandalika GP Motorcycle Circuit during the Covid Era at the Mandalika GP Motor Circuit, Kute Beach, Lombok Indonesia. The type of research used is descriptive qualitative with secondary data and primary data obtained from the NTB Provincial Tourism Office and tourism actors by making an overview of strategies in increasing tourist visits to the island of Lombok during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the Covid-19 pandemic to increase tourist visits to NTB, the local government opened tourism areas into several clusters on the island of Lombok, such as the Senggigi area, the Sekotong area (West Lombok), the three dyke tours (Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno) in the North Lombok Regency area. Kute Mandalike Resort tour with Moto GP circuit on Kute beach, Central Lombok regency, Mount Rinjani tourist area in Sembalun, East Lombok district. The strategy for organizing Motor GP in Kute, Central Lombok by looking at several indicators, namely the tourism potential on the island of Lombok, especially the Kute Lombok beach by looking at the Strength (Strengt) supported by the beauty of natural charm and beach tourism with Baunyale culture, geographically very strategic and easy to reach, unique traditions and local community culture and high tolerance. Weaknesses, namely human resources are still low, management of tourist destinations, cultural centers have not been managed properly, and security and comfort are still not guaranteed. Opportunities, which are supported by advances in communication and information technology, the distance of tourist sites from downtown Mataram is easy to reach, and the distance of Lombok International Airport is easily accessible to tourist destinations. Weaknesses, namely low public awareness to maintain the tourism environment, the issue of the Covid-19 pandemic and the non-normality of land and air transportation routes, where tourism access for the Lombok island area is opened in certain areas, such as the Senggigi area, Kuta beach Lombok Tengah, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. Tourist visits during Covid-19 experienced a significant decrease (- 46.85%) of the total visits during 2020, especially foreign tourists and in 2021 the number of tourist visits to Lombok, especially West Nusa Tenggara experienced an increase until the percentage was positive to 6.25%. This is supported by the government's policy of opening flight routes for Java, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara and supported by the Super Bike Motor racing event. To improve the economy of the community affected by Covid-19, the regional government seeks to open tourist attractions for local tourist visitors in relatively safe locations while still implementing Health protocols (wearing masks, keeping distance and providing hand washing facilities) and developing cultural tourism. , religious tourism, culinary tourism and village tourism . Keywords: accounting, legal regulatory framework, financial reporting, BRICS. JEL Classification: Strategy, Tourist Visits, Covd -19 Pandemic Era.

I . PRELIMINARY

1. Background

Currently the international world is being faced with global problems related to health problems, there is a virus that infects the respiratory tract referred to as the Corona virus or better known as Covid -19, because of its emergence which allegedly began to appear in 2019 in Wuhan, China. Corona viruses cause illness from the common cold to more severe illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). This virus spreads quickly and has spread to several countries, including Indonesia. This virus is suspected to have entered Indonesia since March 2, 2020, starting from an Indonesian citizen who made direct contact with a foreign national from Japan.

The Covid-19 pandemic that has occurred has spread throughout the world and its spread has continued until now since the first case was identified at the end of December 2019. On August 3, 2020 it was reported that there were 18,219,002 (18.2 million) cases infected with the Covid-19 virus. which has been confirmed worldwide. Of this number, there have been 692,309 deaths and 11,435,236 (11.4 million) patients have been declared cured of the Covid-19 virus. There are also active cases under surveillance with a number exceeding 6 million cases or more precisely 6,091,457 (6.09 million) cases, with 6,025,656 (6.02 million) cases in mild condition or no symptoms and 65,801 in serious condition being hospitalized. Based on data, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the United States was 4.8 million cases, followed by Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa. Almost all countries experienced an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, including Indonesia itself. Based on August 2020 data from the Indonesian government, 1,519 new cases were obtained, bringing the total recorded Covid-19 cases in Indonesia to 111,455 cases. In addition, the number of deaths that occurred also increased by 43 cases to a total of 5,236 cases. Then, the total number of patients who have been declared cured of Covid-19 after undergoing treatment at the hospital is 68,975 people. Covid-19 ranges from the common cold to more severe illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). This virus spreads quickly and has spread to several countries, including Indonesia. This virus is suspected to have entered Indonesia since March 2, 2020, starting from an Indonesian citizen who made direct contact and spread so quickly in 2020 and this condition has greatly impacted all economic sectors.

The tourism sector in Indonesia is the most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic because it has been the prima donna sector since the 1990s decade which can contribute quite a large amount of foreign exchange to the country, as well as being able to absorb labor and grow the household handicraft industry sector. With the increasingly active tourism sector sectorally, it is a contributor in spurring economic growth in Indonesia and provides added value in the form of income earned by the household sector engaged in tourism, both in the provision of facilities and infrastructure to meet the demands of tourists. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector experienced a decline in growth and this had an impact on the social life of many people, especially tourism actors.

West Nusa Tenggara is one of the areas that has become a national and international tourism destination, in addition to other areas such as the island of Bali, the city of Medan, the city of Bandung, Jakarta, Makassar, Manado and many other areas are also experiencing the impact of the Corona Covid-19 virus pandemic. , so that the government is trying to reduce as little as possible the impact caused by the covid-19 pandemic by trying little by little to develop the tourism sector with distinctive regional advantages that attract tourists to visit West Nusa Tenggara, especially to the island of Lombok.

The island of Lombok itself consists of four districts and cities, namely West Lombok Regency, East Lombok Regency, Central Lombok Regency, North Lombok Regency and Mataram City. While the island of Sumbawa consists of four regencies and cities, namely Sumbawa Regency, West Sumbawa Regency, Dompu Regency, Bima Regency, and Bima Municipality. The government center of West Nusa Tenggara Province is in Mataram City, apart from being the provincial capital, it is also a center of trade and business and a center for higher education which makes NTB a barometer on a national scale to be visited by residents outside the region and abroad both for business purposes and for tourist visits. and further study in higher education.

The following is a map of Lombok Island and Sumbawa Island:

Image is available at PDF file

Figure 1: Kute Lombok Madalika Beach

With some of the potential of the region, this becomes the basic capital for local governments to develop the tourism sector in the future in order to meet the demands of users of tourism services both in the field of supporting facilities and infrastructure that are able to provide adequate capacity for tourists visiting the West Nusa Tenggara area.

The rationale for conducting a research study on the development of tourism potential in the Covid-19 era is that tourism on the island of Lombok can develop slowly during the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to preparing for international events with the presence of the Moto GP Formula circuit in the Kue Mandalika area. Resorts and the tourism sector are expected to spur economic growth on a national and regional scale and for the regions themselves which have an impact on community income receipts, employment and regional investment which will increase Regional Original Income (PAD).

1.2. Formulation of the problem

1. How much tourism potential can increase tourist visits with the existing strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic on the island of Lombok.

2. How is the development of regional tourism potential for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic

1.3. Research purposes :

1, To analyze tourism development strategies in increasing tourist visits to Lombok Island in the COVID-19 era

2, To identify the potential of regional tourism in developing MSMEs

The tourism sector during the COVID-19 pandemic on the island of Lombok.

II. THEORY REVIEW

1. Rationale

Geographically, Indonesia has cultural diversity both in terms of religion and customs that stretches from Sabang, Aceh province to Meraoke, West Irian province with a population of more than 260 million people. In addition, the State of Indonesia has a large area consisting of thousands of islands, namely 17,508 islands stretching along 5120 km which have natural beauty and wide stretches of beaches to be used as marine tourism and beach tourism and other places that have beautiful natural charm.

With a very wide area and supported by the potential of diverse natural resources, the government can process and utilize it for the development of the tourism sector. In fact, the tourism sector can make a large contribution in spurring growth nationally and regionally and this has an impact on improving the welfare of the community in general and is also supported by other economic sectors such as the industrial sector, trade and transportation services sector.

The development of the tourism sector in Indonesia is handled by a single department, namely the Ministry of Culture and Tourism at the National level and the Regional Culture and Tourism Office at the regional level. The tourism office is a tourism agency established by the government as an agency responsible for developing and fostering the tourism sector in general, both at the national and regional levels (Youti; 2009).

2. Understanding Tourism

In general, tourism is visiting a place that has a beauty and attractiveness, both natural tourism, culture, customs, culinary or special food and so on. So tourism is a trip to visit or visit one place to another that is temporary (not permanent) carried out by individuals or groups (groups) whose purpose is to seek entertainment by seeing the natural beauty and variety of local cultures which are used as insights in living life. This means that they know and can compare the beauty, comfort and coolness of tourists when they visit one place and other tourist attractions to be used as a reference to themselves and to other people, relatives, friends and family one day when traveling.

According to Musanef (2012), tourism is defined as a trip that is carried out for a while, which is carried out from one place to another to enjoy sightseeing and recreational trips.

According to Youti (2009) tourism must have four criteria, namely:

1. The trip is done from one place to another, and the trip is done outside the place of residence where the person usually lives.

2. The purpose of the trip is solely for fun and not to earn a living in the country, city or tourist destination (DTW) visited.

3. The money spent by the tourist is taken from his country of origin, where he can live or reside, and is not obtained because of the results of the business while on the tour.

4. The trip must be done for a minimum of 24 hours or more.

So in general that tourism contains several elements that must exist within the limits of a definition, among others, these elements are that the trip must be carried out from one place to another, the trip must be tied to people who travel either individually or in groups and solely eyes only to visit or as a visitor to these tourist attractions.

3. Tourism Development Strategy

Understanding strategy according to the "business dictionary" strategy is a method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as the achievement of goals, or solutions to problems; so the notion of strategy is the art and science of planning by utilizing resources for the most efficient and effective use. According to Henry Mintzberg (1998) a business and management expert, that the notion of strategy is divided into five definitions, namely strategy as a plan, strategy as a pattern, strategy as a position (positions), strategy as tactic (ploy), and finally strategy as perspective.

The five strategies include:

a. Understanding Strategy as a plan is a program or planned step (a directed course of action) to achieve a set of predetermined goals or ideals, as well as the concept of strategic planning.

b. Understanding strategy as a pattern (pattern) is a consistent pattern of past behavior, using a strategy that is awareness rather than using a planned or intended one. What is a different pattern from intending or intending, then strategy as a pattern refers more to something that just appears (emergent).

c. The definition of strategy as a position is to determine the brand, product or company in the market, based on the conceptual framework of consumers or policy makers; a strategy is primarily determined by external factors.

d. Understanding strategy as a tactic, is a specific maneuver to trick or outwit the opponent (competitor).

e. Understanding strategy as a perspective is executing strategies based on existing theories or using natural instincts from the head or way of thinking or ideologically.

According to Siagian (2004) the notion of strategy is a series of decisions and fundamental actions made by top management to be implemented by all levels of an organization in order to achieve the goals of the organization.

The tourism development strategy to support national economic growth can be implemented by taking into account several things, namely:

1. It is necessary to stipulate several regulations that favor the improvement of the quality of tourism services and the preservation of the tourism environment, not in favor of the interests of certain parties.

2. The manager of the tourism industry must involve the local community. Because if it does not involve the local community, the result is that there will be no contribution of income in the economic sense to the surrounding community.

3. Promotional activities must be carried out in various ways, apart from launching a campaign, through mass media and also through the Visit Indonesia Year program.

4. It is necessary to determine the Tourism Destination Areas (DTW) which have the potential and uniqueness compared to other destinations, especially those that are traditional.

5. The central government builds cooperation with the private sector and local government in an open, honest and fair system. It is necessary to distribute the flow of tourists to all tourist destinations throughout Indonesia.

6. Invite the community around DTW to be aware of the role, function and benefits of tourism and stimulate them to take advantage of the opportunities created for various activities that can be economically profitable.

7. The necessary facilities and infrastructure need to be well prepared to support the smooth running of tourism, for example road facilities, shopping centers in tourist areas, communication and transportation facilities.

4, Driving Factors for Tourism Development

By looking at lifestyle trends and the purchasing power of people both domestically and abroad, as well as seeing the improving world economic conditions have an impact on the Indonesian economy. By looking at the long-term side at present and in the future, the human need for travel is increasing along with the increasing number of world population, especially the Indonesian population, whose people need free time for refreshing on holidays in particular.

According to Fandeli (1998), the factors that encourage people to travel are:

1. The desire to escape from the pressures of everyday life in the city, the desire to find a new atmosphere, to fill spare time.

2. Progress of development in the field of communication and transportation.

3. The desire to see and gain new experiences about the culture of the local community and other places.

4. Increased opinion that can allow a person to freely travel far from where he lives.

According to Spilane (1998), the factors driving the development of tourism in Indonesia are:

Reduced sources of oil as a country's foreign exchange when compared to the past.

1. The decline in the value of exports in the non-oil and gas sector.

2. There is a consistent increase in the tourism sector

3. The great potential of the Indonesian people for tourism development.

These conditions are also marked by a physical development process that is so fast that it takes up potential agricultural land for residential development, offices and business spaces as well as industrial development, which exploits fertile agricultural land. The decrease in agricultural land causes unemployment in the village and they will migrate to cities to find work in various economic sectors. To overcome the problems of people's lives, the tourism sector needs to be developed in order to prosper the community from the tourism industry and to boost regional income in the form of PAD and regional economic growth.

III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1. Types of research

The type of research conducted in this research is descriptive qualitative research. Research with this descriptive method was conducted to create an overview of the strategies used by the government through the Tourism Office regarding the analysis of tourism development strategies for the island of Lombok during the COVID-19 pandemic and the inhibiting factors in tourism development, especially on the island of Lombok.

The concerns in this research are:

1. Policies and strategies of the NTB Regional Office of Culture and Tourism to develop tourism in the region which include:

a. Provision of facilities and infrastructure

b. Development of regional tourism objects

c. Community participation

d. Increasing the participation of the private sector

2. Factors influencing tourism development:

a. Supporting factors, and

b. inhibition factor

2. Research sites

This research was carried out at the Office of the Tourism Office of West Nusa Tenggara Province which is located on Jalan Langko No. 70 Kota Mataram.

3. Data Collection Techniques

This research is a case study, where the data collected in this study were obtained through observation, interviews, and documentation or literature study at the NTB Provincial Tourism Office. The data collection technique used is to take data from information about the impact during Covid-19 from tourism on the island of Lombok. Additional data was also obtained from observations during the 2019-2020 Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. Especially regarding tourist visits and tourism development in the village.

4. Data analysis

Descriptive analysis is done by mapping the place to the data that has been searched. Content analysis, analyzing more deeply related to information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of tourism potential on the island of Lombok and researchers will reveal the background, timing, aspects, of the tourism

For analysis and discussion in this study using descriptive analysis with a qualitative approach, namely by examining all data and information obtained from various data sources in the field and existing documentation, then the data is processed through data grouping, classification of internal factors and external. The next step is to formulate strategies for developing tourism potential, namely to identify and formulate a strategy to maximize strengths and opportunities and minimize weaknesses and threats.

IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1, Tourism Overview of NTB

1.1. Concept and definition of International Tourist Visit

The definition of foreign tourists in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is any person who visits a country in a country outside his place of residence, driven by one or more needs without the intention of earning income at the place visited and the duration of the visit is not more than 12 (twelve) months. (BPS NTB; Census Data 2020). This definition includes two categories of foreign guests, namely:

1 . Tourist (tourist), is every visitor who comes from a country who stays at least 24 hours, but not more than 12 months at the place visited with the intention of visiting, among others:

a. Vacation, recreation and sports

b. Business, visiting friends and family, missions attending meetings, conferences, visits for health, study and religious reasons.

2 . A traveler (Excursionist), is every visitor as defined above who stays less than twenty-four hours in the place visited (including cruise passenger, which is every visitor who arrives in a country by ship or train, where they do not stay at the accommodations available in Indonesia). the country).

Tourism in NTB has begun to be widely known by domestic and foreign tourists so that the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Tourism Office through the NTB provincial government has started to open various international-standard events such as cycling competitions, 10 Km Senggigi running competitions and Geopark Rinjani, Bau Nyale, diamond war and many more events are packaged to attract tourists to visit NTB, especially to Lombok. The attraction of West Nusa Tenggara tourist destinations, especially the island of Lombok, is known for its natural panorama or the attractive panorama of Gili small islands and is a tourist destination most visited by local and foreign tourists, especially in Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno in North Lombok Regency.

Of all the Gilis on the island of Lombok which are very well known abroad are the Gilis in the North Lombok area (Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno) supported by adequate sea and road transportation facilities and infrastructure, lodging facilities in the form of hotels and restaurants. with international standards as well as jasmine class inns belonging to residents and home stays. The following is the potential for Gili tourism on the island of Lombok.

Table.1. List of Small Islands or Gili in Lombok Island District... the name of the gili

No	District	Name of the Gili Gili
1	West Lombok	Gili solet Gili Puyuh Gili Kawu Gili Nanggu Gili Sudak Gili Poh Gili Gede Gili Layar
2	East Lombok	Gili Lawang Gili Sulat Gili Lampu Gili Pentangun Gili Pulu
3	Central Lombok	Gili indah Gili merengkek Gili Belek
4	North Lombok	Gili Trawangan Gili air Gili Meno

Source: NTB Tourism Office (2019)

There are still many small islands or dykes on the island of Lombok, but those that have the potential to be developed as a tourist destination on the island of Lombok are only Gili which has facilities and infrastructure such as roads and lodging facilities and is easily accessible by land and sea transportation. listed above. In addition, there are also several Gilis that are well known to the tourist community, both foreign and foreign tourists such as Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, Gili Air, Gili Gede, Gili Nanggu, Gili Sudak, Gili Indah, Gili Merengkek, Gili Sulat which have a panoramic view of the natural beauty of the sea. continue to be developed, especially the access road to get to the location of the dyke.

1.2. Tourist Destinations in the Covid-19 Era on Lombok Island

The West Nusa Tenggara provincial government through the local Tourism Office in the Covid-19 era carried out many tourism activities such as conducting tourism events both through tourist exhibitions and promoting through social media (medsos) by utilizing the internet network. In addition, a lot is also done by opening village tourism destinations that have the potential to be developed and have the attractiveness and interest of tourists to visit both local and national and foreign tours. During the Covid-19 pandemic, tourist destinations on the island of Lombok which are known internationally are as follows:

Climbing to the Peak of Mount Rinjani Via Sembalun Lombok Island

Image is available at PDF file

FIGURE 1. Rinjadi Mountain And Segara Children's Lake

Mount Rinjani is the second highest volcano in Indonesia and is also a part of the “Ring of Fire” series. Administratively, this mountain is under four districts, namely East Lombok, Central Lombok, West Lombok, and North Lombok. This mountain has a height of 3,726 m above sea level. For the people of Lombok Island, especially the Sasak and Balinese tribes, Mount Rinjani is considered a sacred place and is the palace of the gods. Mount Rinjani is located in Mount Rinjani National Park which is located in a biogeographical transition area (Wallace line), where Southeast Asian flora and fauna meet Australian flora and fauna (Rinjani story pamphlet).

In the Mount Rinjani area there are Segara Anak Lake, Barujari Mountain, Sangkareang Mountain, Waja Mountain, and several caves, namely Susu Cave, Payung Cave, and Manik Cave. Segara Anak Lake is a source of water for all Lombok people. The water that comes from this lake flows almost to most of Lombok. Agriculture around Lombok depends on the water of this lake. The lake which has an area of ​​11,000 m2 with a depth of 230 m and is located at an altitude of 2000 mdpl is said by some traditional elders in the Bayan area to function as a cooler for the surrounding volcanoes. This lake is thought to have been formed due to the eruption of Mount Samalas in 1257. Another opinion says that Lake Segara Anak appeared due to the eruption of Mount Rinjani Purba.

Image is available at PDF file

Gili Trawangan tourism object, North Lombok district, West Nusa Tenggara Province

Gili Trawangan is a charming small island that gives satisfaction and enjoyment to tourists who visit Gili Trawangan with its natural charm of white sandy beaches and diving tours which are known to have beautiful marine fauna, often referred to as Blue Corall.

Image is available at PDF file

FIGURE 2. Gili Trawangan Beach Tourism Are

In addition to the charm of Mount Rinjani, there are also beach tourism destinations that are well known abroad, namely the three Gili beaches in North Lombok district such as Gili Trawangan as shown in the picture, Gili Meno and Gili Air. The three dykes have water transportation that is quite adequate and comfortable for guests who will cross using a boat or speed bot that is available at Bangsal Pemenang Harbor and the Telok Koedek area.

1.3. Tourist Visits to NTB

The definition of foreign tourists in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is every person who visits a country outside his place of residence, driven by one or more needs without the intention of earning income at the place visited and the duration of the visit is not more than 12 (twelve) months. This definition includes two categories of international guests, namely:

1. Tourists

Is every visitor as defined above who stays at least 24 hours, but not more than 12 months in the place he visited with the purpose of visiting, among others:

a. Vacation and sports

b. Business, visiting friends and family. Mission. Attending meetings, conferences, visits for health, study and religious reasons.

2. Traveler (Excursionist)

Is every visitor as defined above who stays less than 24 hours in the place visited (including cruise passenger, namely every visitor who arrives in a country by ship or train, where they do not stay in accommodation available in that country.

Tourists visiting West Nusa Tenggara consist of domestic tourists (Wisnu) and foreign tourists (Wisman) who enter through the Sheet Harbor entrance, the airport gate (BIL, Salahudin Bima), tourists from Bali using Fast Boat to Gili, Sape Harbor and through other doors. The following data on the percentage of tourist visits who travel to West Nusa Tenggara through several entrances can be seen in the table below.

Table 2. Percentage of Foreign Tourist Visits by Entrance 2019/2020

No.	Entrance	Percentage
1.	. Sheet Port/Cruise Ship	5,28
2.	Airport	22,19
3.	Fast Boat Harbor	67,85
4.	Sape Bima Harbor	0,11
5.	Other	4,56

Source: NTB Tourism Statistics

Most tourists enter through the Fast Boat port, which is 67.85%, dominated by tourists from Bali who visit Gili Utamanaya Gili Terawangan who immediately docked at the Gili Terawangan pier. The percentage of foreign tourists entering through the airport is 22.19%, namely through Lombok International Airport and Salahudin Bima Airport. The percentage of foreign tourists entering through the Lembar Port, West Lombok, reached 5.28% and the Sape Bima Port 0.11%, while the rest entered through other gates, the percentage reached 4.56%.

Furthermore, with regard to the number of tourists visiting West Nusa Tenggara from various entrances during 2013 to 2017 it can be seen in table 3. below: