Indonesia orders the halting of tourism projects linked to Trump over environmental issues

Indonesian authorities halt Trump-affiliated tourism project over environmental concerns, sparking conservationists' approval and business sector reflection.

Indonesian authorities have ordered the halting of development of a tourism project affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump over water management and environmental issues, officials said Friday (February 7, 2025).

The 3,000-hectare (11.6-square-mile) project is the brainchild of Mr. Trump’s Indonesian business partner, billionaire and politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo, who attended Mr. Trump’s inauguration in Washington last month.

His association with Mr. Trump began in 2014 when his group company, MNC, was looking for an operator for sprawling “six star” resorts, one to be built on the tourist island of Bali and the other near Jakarta.

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In exchange for a cut of the revenue, the Trump Organization would manage hotels, golf courses and country clubs that would cost about $700 million for MNC to build. The projects form the core of larger developments that the company plans.

In a January 2017 interview with The Associated Press, Tanoesoedibjo, better known as Tanoe, said that developing the whole 3,000 hectares of Lido City would take more than a decade and cost up to $3 billion, of which the Mr. Trump properties would cost more than $300 million.

The company has been promoting the project for years. In 2023, then Indonesian President Joko Widodo gave it special economic zone status, providing MNC Land with tax breaks and leniency on permits.