One of the popular tourist destinations in North Sumatra is Lake Toba. Located in the supervolcano's caldera, the lake spreads 100 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide, with a depth reaching 500 meters below, and is also known as the largest lake in Indonesia.
Lake Toba is administratively located in eight districts in North Sumatra, surrounded by green mountains and hills formed from a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. Since the Dutch colonial era, the beauty of Lake Toba has been recognized.
This lake reaped more highlights after being designated as one of the five Super Priority Destinations (DSP) by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in 2021.
Apart from Lake Toba, North Sumatra offers other exotic natural panoramas such as Brastagi, Parapat, Sipisopiso waterfall, Bukit Lawang, and Samosir Island located in Lake Toba.
For a more challenging and adventurous experience, tourists can visit attractions such as Mount Sinabung and Mount Sibayak.
In the cultural and religious scene, several historical buildings are worth a visit, such as the Tjong A Fie Mansion, the North Sumatra State Museum, the Al Mashun Grand Mosque, and the Maimun Palace, as well as several historical buildings in the Kesawan area of North Sumatra capital, Medan City.
To support the tourism sector, North Sumatra offers a plethora of culinary delights and accommodation facilities according to the visitors’ needs during their stay in this hub of western Indonesia.
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The tourism sector in this province, with a population of around 15 million people, is one of the magnets to boost the economic growth of the people and increase the regional income.
Such tourism potentials indubitably need efforts to push massive promotion and campaigns by involving all components, especially local governments, tourism actors, and the local community.
It emerged as a golden opportunity for the people of North Sumatra when the government chose this region, along with the neighboring province, Aceh, to host the National Sports Week (PON XXI) on September 9-20, 2024.
The 2024 PON is scheduled to be opened in Aceh and closed in North Sumatra. No less than 9,938 athletes and officials from 38 provinces in Indonesia will be involved in this national event, along with spectators in every match.
This high number of visitors during PON can be utilized to push the tourism agenda by promoting tourist destinations and culinary specialties.
All community components of North Sumatra are expected to make the most of PON to introduce this province's tourism potential since tens of thousands of visitors will flock to the region.
Apart from tourist attractions, local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will also receive more orders, such as souvenirs to be taken home by visitors.
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno advised the Aceh and North Sumatra provincial governments to make the most of the 2024 PON as an effort to increase tourism activities and MSMEs in the region.
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Uno is targeting an increase of at least 25 percent in tourist arrivals to the mainstay tourist attractions in the two provinces, accompanied by an increase in the creative economy and MSME products related to PON.
"I entrust the MSMEs and the creative economy improvement during PON to the provincial government,” he remarked.
His side has also provided support to MSMEs and creative economy actors to produce quality outputs.
For the implementation of the 2024 PON, Uno spoke of having received a special task from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to promote tourism destinations in the host provinces.
This aims to stimulate the community's economy and develop business opportunities in addition to creating jobs for local residents.
In North Sumatra, tourist attractions, such as the super-priority destination of Lake Toba, are the main attractions during PON 2024, apart from other natural attractions such as Bukit Lawang and the elephant breeding in Tangkahan.
For the successful implementation of this national sporting event, the local government continues to encourage tourism actors and MSMEs to be more active and innovative in order to promote their superior products.
The involvement of MSMEs and tourism actors in the 2024 PON is important to disseminate information on the economic impact of the event, Head of the North Sumatra Cooperatives and MSMEs Service, Naslindo Sirait, remarked.
Moreover, support from the surrounding community is necessary to leave a conducive and positive impression on tourists, such as regarding the friendliness of the residents and the absence of extortion.
As a form of support for promoting the tourism potential, the government should also collaborate intensively with the private sector to conduct various activities regionally, nationally, and internationally, such as arts and culture festivals.
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Translator: Azhari, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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