"Lake Toba is being prepared to become a new Bali in Indonesia. We are confident that we will be able to do so and Lake Toba will be developed into a nature and geo-park tourism destination," Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government has designated Lake Toba, located in North Sumatra, as an international-standard tourist destination and aims to improve the living conditions of the local population.

"Lake Toba is to be turned into an international-standard destination," Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said after a limited cabinet meeting on the Development Plan of Lake Toba Destination and the Tourism Authority Agency for Lake Toba, here on Tuesday.

The government is preparing the legal documents to establish a Lake Toba tourism authority, he said after a meeting presided over by President Joko Widodo.

"Lake Toba is being prepared to become a new Bali in Indonesia. We are confident that we will be able to do so and Lake Toba will be developed into a nature and geo-park tourism destination," he added.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Resources Rizal Ramli outlined several points concerning the development of Lake Toba.

The lake area needs to be cleaned up, he said, adding that the government would help small-scale fishermen by providing feeding box technology, while the big fishermen will be asked not to damage the environment.

The inhabitants of seven districts located around Lake Toba must benefit once Lake Toba is developed as a world-class tourism destination.

For that purpose, every district will be guided to come up with specialized products to be supplied to meet the needs of tourists.

Supporting facilities will also be developed in the area, the minister said.

In the meantime, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said Lake Toba has been designated as an international destination that will be managed in an integrated fashion by an authority.

"The target is to earn an average of US$1 billion annually from foreign tourists. The investment at the initial stage for Lake Toba will be Rp20 trillion, of which Rp10 trillion will come from the government and the rest will come from the private sector," he said.

The government will expedite the issuance of a presidential regulation for the development of a zone to be managed under one roof, he said.

Acting Governor of North Sumatra Tengku Erry Nuradi has asked for a toll road to Lake Toba and environmental improvement measures in the lake area.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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