Government accelerating development of Lake Toba area

The Government of Indonesia is making every effort to accelerate the development of Lake Toba area in North Sumatra into a main tourist destination in the country.

Lake Toba has been designated by the government as an international-standard tourist destination in an effort to improve the living conditions of the local population.

The central government has set numerous steps to accelerate the development of Lake Toba area, North Sumatra Acting Governor Erry Nuradi remarked in the provincial capital of Medan Friday.

"The steps were decided in a coordination meeting with a number of relevant ministries to discuss measures to accelerate the development of strategic tourism area of Lake Toba as Monaco of Asia," Nuradi noted.

The coordination meeting was attended by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, and Tourism Minister Arief Yahya. 

The steps to accelerate the development of Lake Toba area are extension of the Sibisa airport runway in Tobasa district, construction of hotels and accommodation at Lake Toba area, construction of a toll road from Kualanamu airport to Prapat, dredging and deepening of the lake in the Tano Ponggol area, provision of 500 hectares of land for "ecotourism", and intensive promotion of Lake Toba, among others, Nuradi pointed out.

Further, the rules relating to the development of Lake Toba Authority should be made as efficient and simple as possible, he said.

The government plans to set up the Lake Toba Authority to manage the development of the tourist destination in North Sumatra.

President Joko Widodo and a number of cabinet ministers held a meeting early this month, also attended by the acting governor of North Sumatra and seven heads of districts around Lake Toba, to discuss the issue.

The meeting agreed to establish the Lake Toba Authority, the President said at a press conference after the meeting, adding, "All seven district heads have given their signatures to the agreement."

The authority would later manage issuance of permits for activities around the Lake Toba area which is about 500 hectares, the President said.

"All permits are under the authority of the Lake Toba Authority and all district heads have agreed to it," the President said.

The meeting was the final round of discussions so far about Lake Toba development, he said.

"The discussions have been on since August 2015, followed by several limited meetings and finally a meeting with the governor and district heads," he said.

All parties have agreed to carry out the Lake Toba tourism development which includes the development of local Silangit airport which is to be launched in April 2016 and completed at the end of 2016, he said.

The airports runway would be extended to cover 2,650 meters to allow Boeing aircraft to land there while the terminal will also be made bigger.

With the availability of adequate infrastructure it is hoped that more domestic as well as foreign tourists could come to Lake Toba. 

President Joko Widodo made a visit to the Lake Toba region to ascertain that the development of Lake Tobas tourism was given top priority.

Lake Toba is one of the 10 main tourist destinations in Indonesia along with the Borobudur temple, Mandalika, Labuhan Bajo, and Thousand Islands, apart from Wakatobi, Tanjung Lesung, Morotai, and Tanjung Kelayang.

During a limited meeting on February 2, 2016, President Jokowi instructed the relevant ministers to boost tourism, connectivity, and accessibility by developing infrastructure, such as airports, roads, and ports.

"I have also emphasized the need to prepare a branding strategy that can be used for marketing, offering services of international standards, and showcasing art and cultural attractions through good choreography and attractive designs," Jokowi noted at the time.

He said All tourism services and facilities in the lake area must be upgraded to meet international standards, he stated.

The head of the state also called for improving the tourism attractions that visitors throng at the lake area.

"Art and cultural attractions should be on display, in a well choreographed manner, and should be attractively designed," he remarked.

He also ordered to improve connectivity with Lake Toba and its surrounding areas, making these more accessible.

For the same reason, the seaport and airport infrastructure in North Sumatra must also be further developed.

"I understand that two or three weeks ago, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, the Coordinating Minister for Human and Cultural Development and the Tourism Minister had visited Lake Toba. We hope that there will be follow up on the ground," he added.

Tourism Affairs Minister Arief Yahya has expressed optimism that Lake Toba in the Indonesian Province of North Sumatra will become a top tourist destination in the world, attracting a lot of domestic and foreign tourists.

"The development of Lake Toba must not remain stagnant, and must continue as planned," the minister said in his written remarks received here on Tuesday.

According to Arief Yahya, one of key reasons for success in developing tourism at Lake Toba is the fact that the management is being undertaken jointly by seven district heads surrounding it, namely Samosir, Toba Samosir, Simalungun, Tapanuli Utara, Karo, Dairi, and Humbang Hasundutan.(*)

Source: ANTARA