When a name like Nadal and a brand like Hyatt commit to an island, we know they are investing in more than beautiful scenery. They are investing in long-term fundamentals.
Here’s what we see on the ground in Lombok, and why we believe it strengthens the island’s investment potential.
The Announcement
This summer, the Rafa Nadal Academy confirmed it will open the first Rafa Nadal Tennis Center in Southeast Asia on Lombok’s south coast.
The new facility will feature four tennis courts and four padel courts, all operated using the training methodology developed by Nadal and his team over two decades of professional competition.
The center will become part of Samara Lombok, a 150-hectare integrated coastal destination scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2028.
Samara Lombok is another milestone in itself. It will become the first Destination by Hyatt in Southeast Asia, launching with three boutique hotels, 150 villas, and a long-term masterplan of approximately 500 residential villas.
When two globally recognised brands commit to the same coastline within the same development timeline, we believe it deserves far more attention than a typical hospitality announcement.
We See This as a Market Signal, Not a Celebrity Story
Celebrity endorsements come and go. Institutional investment is different.
We know Hyatt carefully evaluates every destination before attaching its brand to a project.
Likewise, the Rafa Nadal Academy has only expanded its training centres into destinations where it sees sustainable international demand.
Neither organisation plans developments with multi-year timelines unless they have confidence in the long-term outlook.
From our perspective, much of the institutional due diligence has already been completed by organisations with far more capital and reputation at stake than the average investor.
Instead of asking, “Why Lombok?”, we believe the better question is:
What are they seeing before the wider market does?
The Fundamentals Were Already There
Lombok’s growth story did not begin with the Nadal announcement.
It began in 2019 when the Indonesian Government designated Mandalika and Lombok as one of Indonesia’s Five Super Priority Tourism Destinations under the “10 New Balis” strategy.
That decision unlocked major infrastructure investment, accelerated government support, and fast-tracked tourism development.
At the centre of this strategy sits the 1,175-hectare Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), backed by more than USD 3 billion in committed investment.
Today, those plans are becoming reality.
By the end of 2025, realised investment inside the SEZ had reached approximately IDR 6 trillion (around USD 354 million), with 27 domestic and international operators already active, including companies from Singapore, Japan, Spain, the United States, and Morocco.
Better Connectivity Is Driving Growth
Infrastructure is what transforms an attractive island into a strong investment market.
We are already seeing that happen across Lombok.
Lombok International Airport is expanding towards a capacity of 7 million passengers per year through runway upgrades and a larger terminal.
New direct international routes from:
- Perth
- Darwin
- Kuala Lumpur
- Singapore
are making Lombok significantly easier to reach for both visitors and investors.
Additional infrastructure, including a 17-kilometre airport-to-Mandalika expressway and a fast-boat terminal, is reducing travel times across southern Lombok.
Passenger traffic through Lombok International Airport also increased by approximately 18% year-on-year during early 2026.
For property investors, better accessibility typically supports:
- Higher occupancy rates
- More visitor arrivals
- Stronger Average Daily Rates (ADR)
- Long-term property appreciation
The Numbers Already Show Momentum
We believe Lombok’s growth is now visible in measurable data.
- Tourist arrivals to Mandalika increased 51% during 2024, reaching approximately 1.2 million visitors, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
- West Nusa Tenggara is targeting 2.5–2.8 million annual visitors.
- The MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix continues to strengthen Lombok’s international profile. During the 2025 event, hotels across the Mandalika SEZ reached 100% occupancy while generating an estimated IDR 4.8 trillion in economic impact.
- The race returns again in October 2026.
- West Nusa Tenggara’s economy grew approximately 12.5% year-on-year during late 2025, outperforming the national average.
We also see sports tourism becoming one of Lombok’s strongest long-term demand drivers.
MotoGP has already established the destination globally.
The addition of world-class tennis and padel facilities creates another year-round attraction that extends beyond traditional holiday seasons.
Where We Believe Lombok Sits Today
Timing matters in every property market.
Bali has become one of Asia’s most mature real estate destinations.
It continues to perform exceptionally well, but pricing now reflects decades of sustained growth.
We believe Lombok today resembles Bali during its earlier stages.
The island offers:
- Exceptional natural landscapes
- Government-backed infrastructure investment
- Improving international accessibility
- Property prices that have not yet fully reflected future growth
That gap between today’s pricing and tomorrow’s potential is what we see as the opportunity.
By definition, opportunities like this do not remain open forever.
Major milestones, including:
- Airport expansion
- Future MotoGP events
- Samara Lombok
- The Rafa Nadal Tennis Center
all have the potential to accelerate market maturity over the coming years.
We Also Believe in Being Honest About the Risks
No emerging market is without risk.
We would never present Lombok as a guaranteed investment.
Some of the biggest catalysts, including the Rafa Nadal Tennis Center, are still several years away.
Successful investing requires patience.
Choosing the right location, understanding zoning regulations, selecting the appropriate ownership structure, and working with experienced professionals remain essential.
In our experience, these factors often determine whether an investment compounds over time or underperforms.
We believe Lombok should not be approached as a short-term speculation.
It should be approached as a long-term position built carefully and strategically.
Why We Are Already in Lombok
We are not simply watching Lombok from Bali.
We are already active on the island, helping clients source opportunities, conduct due diligence, and manage investments because we reached the same conclusion many institutional investors have.
The Rafa Nadal Academy may be the announcement that introduces Lombok to many international buyers.
For us, it simply reinforces what we have already been seeing on the ground.
The fundamentals existed long before the headlines, and we believe today’s opportunities may look very different once the major developments scheduled through 2028 are complete.
Looking at Lombok?
If you’re considering investing in Lombok, we’d be happy to help you understand what opportunities are genuinely available today.
Our local team can guide you through the market, explain the legal framework, and help you identify investment opportunities that match your long-term goals before the next wave of development reshapes the market.
