LOMBOK'S EARTHQUAKE LUMBERING

DUBBED : ''The Island of a Thousand Mosques,'' Muslim-majority Lombok was always a path less travelled destination than its bigger neighbor -

Bali, the Hindu Majority island that forms the backbone of Indonesia's $19.4 billion tourist sector. 

But it had been earmarked as one of Indonesian President Joko Widodo's ''10 new Balis'' with the regional government hoping to develop into a major destination, especially in the booming halal tourism sector.

THE POWERFUL earthquakes that struck the Indonesian island of Lambok in recent weeks killing some 400 people have sent holidaymakers fleeing, raising questions about how its lucrative tourism sector will bounce back.

Two deadly tremors a week apart - accompanied by dozens aftershocks - wrought widespread damage on homes and livelihoods, striking during the crucial tourism season, when hotels, local businesses and seasonal workers earn the bulk of their annual revenue.

In the Gili Islands, a popular backpacker and diving destination just off Lombok's northern coast,  thousands of terrified tourists jostled on powder-white beaches for departing boats.

Lombak's airport was briefly crammed with holidaymakers rushing to get flights out.

Alfan Hasandi depending on peak time tourists to see his family through the rest of the year.

He and his brothers ran a now shuttered business on one of the islands, Gill Air, offering boat tickets, snorkeling, trekking and vehicle rentals, usually earning  five million rupiah [$350] a day during peak season.

''We hope we can rebuild........but it's impossible because people are still traumatised,'' the 25 year old told AFP. ''Our homes have been completely destroyed ....... .We don't have money to rebuild, we need help.''

Located in one of the most tectonically active areas in the world, Indonesians are used to  natural disasters and its tourism industry has bounced back from catastrophe in the past.

But for Lombok, the quake struck at an especially cruel time, when the island's tourism industry was on the way up. [Agencies]