Relying on Visa-Free Visits

Hotel Mario has been waiting for the electricity supply from the state electricity company PLN for five years. Each night, the hum of a generator breaks the silence of the hotel located on Mananga Aba beach in Southwest Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. Aloysius Purwa, the hotel owner, must pay Rp400,000 for diesel fuel to run the generator each day. "Buying diesel is not easy either because the supply to Sumba Island is unreliable," he told Tempo last week. To save money, the generator is only used at night. The supply of clean water and telecommunications access also pose challenges. Despite the poor infrastructure, Purwa still went ahead and built his hotel.

The beauty of Mananga Aba beach and other beaches on Sumba Island is what made Purwa, who is chairman of the Bali Tourism Travel Bureau Association, invested Rp4.5 billion to build his business on Sumba Island. "The beaches here are exotic, better than those in Bali," he said.

July 12, 2016