The “Digital Island Nusa Lembongan” project was developed by the Klungkung Regency Regional Digitalization Acceleration Team (TP2DD). Recently, it gained support from representatives of the Bali office of Bank Indonesia, which means the small island near Bali will become a pilot site for digital tourism initiatives.
What does this mean? In the near future, all tourism-related businesses on the island will switch to a digital payment system. Not only will you be able to book ferry tickets to Nusa Lembongan or pay for a hotel online, but you’ll also be able to use digital payments in local shops, restaurants, and tourist centers. Even local taxis will move to cashless payments.
To achieve this, Bank Indonesia staff have already begun work on improving the financial literacy of the local population. They are training residents to use digital payment systems such as QRIS, a QR code payment system that operates at any official trading point in Bali. Payments are made contactlessly in just a few clicks, eliminating the need to carry cash or cards. It’s not as fast as Apple Pay, but still very convenient.
In addition to QRIS, Indonesia also has several other electronic payment systems with broad functionality. For example, the OVO e-wallet allows payments for online purchases and services within the Grab app. A similar system is offered by GoJek with their GoPay service. Something similar will likely soon be widespread on Nusa Lembongan as well.
The head of the Bank Indonesia office in Bali, Erwin Soeriadimadja, mentioned that the island’s digitalization won’t stop with the tourism sector. In the future, all businesses on the island and local government services will move to cashless payments, ensuring better services for both tourists and locals.
It is expected that this digitalization will promote high-quality tourism, boost the local economy, increase the number of visitors and the length of their stays, and may also raise local revenues (PAD) for Klungkung Regency.
Nusa Lembongan, a small neighbor of Nusa Penida (an island famous for its beaches, just 20 minutes by boat from Bali), is only 8 km² in size, meaning you can explore it by bike in about an hour. Travelers appreciate the island for its relaxed atmosphere, beautiful beaches, and peaceful surroundings.
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