The Gili Islands are a group of three miniature islands off the coast of Lombok in Indonesia. They are extremely popular among backpackers and tourists looking for unique adventures in the region.
Each of the Gili Islands offers something unique, although they are extremely close together, so typically many people will visit all three and stay for a short while on each island. Travel accommodation in Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three islands, tends to consist of hotels aimed at tourists from all over the world. There are dozens of high-end hotels on the island, and many of these are renowned for their outstanding levels of service.
Gili Meno is known as the most relaxed island here, since it has not been as extensively developed yet, but there are a small number of extremely well rated resorts. Accommodation here is more affordable than on the busier Gili Trawangan, since you may be further away from the action. Meanwhile, Gili Air is known as a relaxed and sociable island which offers something more alternative to the most tourist-friendly Gili Trawangan. Accommodation for travellers here isn’t the cheapest, but again it’s well-reviewed.
New resorts are being opened at a rapid rate, as the region is being quickly developed to increase its capacity for tourists and appeal to more visitors. However, this is limited by the available space and manpower, since there is little business to speak of other than what has been specifically developed for visitors to the area.
In fact, across the whole area, the economy is almost entirely geared towards tourists due to the small size and population of all three islands. Other kinds of business are not viable since the islands are fairly remote, making it a peaceful escape populated mostly by people from neighbouring Lombok or elsewhere in the region.
Another result of the tiny size of these islands is that there are no roads or motor vehicles. Visitors must travel to and from the islands by boat, and fresh water is supplied using the same method since there are no natural sources available. This gives you some sense of how unique this place is, which makes it well worth a visit.
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