What happened
The Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2026 runs from October 9 to 11 at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Kuta is the village closest to the track, and its homestays felt the effect first. Owners say demand climbed steeply in the final week before the main races.
The surge arrived in October, a month when visitor numbers usually start to fall. According to homestay owner Bani, the race instead lifted occupancy in Kuta and the surrounding area significantly.
Rates and occupancy
Bani, who owns a homestay in Kuta, says his rooms usually cost Rp 350,000 to Rp 500,000 a night depending on the season. He raised prices slightly for the race because demand was so strong, and he describes occupancy across Kuta and nearby areas as very high over the past week.
The jump was larger at Mango Room Mandalika. Its representative, Reddy Mardani, known as Dani, says a room normally priced at around Rp 600,000 sold for Rp 2 million a night during the event, and all of them went. The race lasts only three days, yet he says rooms could be sold at roughly three times the usual price.
What the players say
Pertamina's corporate secretary, Arya Dwi Paramita, says the company wants the race to benefit the communities living nearest the circuit. He notes that the grand prix happens once a year, while tourists arrive in Mandalika every day, so locals need skills that last beyond race weekend.
Dani adds that his entire staff is hired locally. Since the first race at Mandalika in 2021, he says, visitor numbers in Kuta have risen every year, with foreign arrivals growing fastest.
Arya lists two priorities. The first is helping residents manage waste, and the second is teaching them to serve tourists well, so that the benefits of the event continue long after the circuit empties.
Training and village energy
Pertamina and Mataram University (Unram) run courses for homestay owners and staff in hospitality, property management and English. Bani notes that some owners have no tourism background and now hold certified skills.
The company also backs a waste bank. Plastic and other inorganic waste is turned into bags and crafts, while organic waste becomes fertilizer. Collection runs on electric motorbikes charged by a 6.6 kWp solar plant at the village hall and a 20 kWh battery unit. The scheme belongs to Pertamina's Desa Energi Berdikari program for energy-independent villages.
Why it matters for Bali
The source describes the effect through homestay owners' eyes: strong demand lasted about a week before the race and through the event itself, which runs three days. The report gives no occupancy data for the full season or year.
Bali is not mentioned in the report. The Kuta figures relate to small homestays near the circuit rather than the villa market, and cover only the period around the race. Bani says his standard rate varies with the season.