Indonesia speeds up construction of MotoGP supporting facilities

Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said that the construction of the facilities has been carried out under an integrated scheme which was also expected to improve the facilities in tourism destinations, according to Xinhua news agency.

A 17.4km long bypass has been constructed to pave the way for connection to the Lombok international airport, he noted.

Other roads and facilities for clean water, waste management, and sanitation are among the focus of the construction and the improvement, Minister Hadimuljono remarked.

The target of the measures was to make the tourist destinations in the province become world class destinations so that visitors to the province during the MotoGP event, scheduled to kick off in 2021, would return.

"If the facilities are not ready, the visitors would not come back again," Hadimuljono said.

The construction of the Mandalika circuit for the MotoGP motorcycle racing event in Lombok district is underway and was expected to be completed in June of next year, according to Abdulbar M. Mansoer, President Director of the Indonesian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a state-owned enterprise that specializes in the development and management of integrated tourism complexes.

Earlier Last year, Indonesia inked a deal with Dorna Sports, the exclusive commercial and television rights holder for the MotoGP, to host the world-class motorcycling races for five years.

The contract was reportedly extended to another five years in April.

The first race was scheduled to be staged next year in the province under the organising of the Mandalika Grand Prix Association, a business unit of the ITDC.