According to Uno, the BPODT had reached cooperation agreements with two investors, namely TOCA Resort and Mitra Jaya.
"It has been agreed that in 2024, TOCA Resort will start developing additional facilities in the form of 20 units of accommodations," he remarked in Jakarta on Monday.
As for the other agreement, he said, Mitra Jaya is planning to construct eco-friendly accommodations in June 2024 to cater to the steadily increasing number of tourists visiting Lake Toba.
"Green tourism has been one of the aspects that is instrumental for attracting investment, as we have seen high demands for this kind of tourism. Hence, we need to build structures that are friendly to nature rather than merely massive ones," he emphasized.
He then noted that as many as 300 thousand tourists had visited the Toba Caldera Resort this year while expressing optimism that the figure would continue to increase, considering that more facilities will be developed at the resort.
Uno also drew attention to several international events held at Toba Lake, such as the 2023 Aquabike Jetski World Championship and Asia Pacific Rally Championship, saying that such events significantly increased revenue.
"Several development projects being executed here are also expected to provide direct impacts on the welfare of locals. The government continues to construct roads, ports, and airports. We are currently finishing the construction of Sibisa Airport," he stated.
By developing the airport and a toll road, he affirmed that the government would realize international-level connectivity in the Toba Lake area.
Meanwhile, President Director of BPODT Jimmy Bernando Pandjaitan revealed that his side had received an investment value totaling Rp2 trillion (US$128.8 million) in the Toba Caldera Resort.
The total value includes the newly agreed investments of approximately Rp100 billion (US$6.4 million) with TOCA Resort and about Rp500 billion (US$32.2 million) with Mitra Jaya.
"In total, the investment value has reached Rp2 trillion," he noted.
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Translator: Sinta Ambarwati, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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