Lake Toba to Feature 22 Kilometers of Beach Tourism

8 hours ago 4

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Samosir Regency government plans to develop a 22-kilometer beach tourism at Lake Toba. This beach tourism is set to become a new attraction at Lake Toba, which has been designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The development plan received support from the Governor of North Sumatra, Bobby Nasution. "The concept of this long beach can revive the economy of the Samosir community. The North Sumatra Provincial Government is ready to support," said Bobby in front of the Samosir Regent Vandiko Timotius Gultom in Samosir, North Sumatra, on Sunday.

The beach stretches from the Tano Ponggol area in the Pangururan district to Simanindo port in the Samosir regency in North Sumatra.

Government Synergy

To realize beach tourism, Bobby stated that collaboration and synergy between the regency government, provincial government, and central government are required. The development plan also needs to consider many aspects, including the acquisition of dozens of kilometers of land that currently belongs to the community.

"Collaborative steps are needed, and all relevant parties must provide support to ensure the project runs smoothly," said Bobby.

The grand design of this long beach development must take into account its management, maintenance, and the visual model of the beach tourism area. In addition, Bobby stated that a long-term analysis is needed so that each point becomes an attractive tourist destination for both domestic and international tourists, similar to the world-renowned Lake Toba.

"Not only building, but we also need to know how to maintain each point in the future. There must be a clear concept so that this project is truly beneficial," said Bobby.

Although it is not an ocean, Lake Toba has many shores with natural white sand and a gentle lakefront. It offers beach-like tourism activities. According to an Instagram post by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, there are eight beaches in Lake Toba that tourists can visit. In Samosir, there are Parbaba Beach and Batu Hoda Beach. In other regencies, there are Lumban Bulbul Beach, Bebas Parapat Beach, Silalahi Beach, Paropo Beach, Paris or Tiga Ras Beach, and Parparean White Sand Beach.

Yellow Card Status of UNESCO Geopark

The Toba Caldera, also known as Lake Toba, was designated a Global Geopark by UNESCO in the 209th session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris, France, on Tuesday, July 2, 2020. However, this status is threatened after the UNESCO Global Geopark meeting in Morocco on September 4-5, 2023, which declared that the Toba Caldera Earth Park (Geopark) received a yellow card from UNESCO.

The yellow card is a warning from UNESCO, indicating that the managing body of the area did not meet several established criteria. The Toba Caldera UNESCO Global Geopark Management Agency was asked by UNESCO to make improvements before its revalidation in two years.

The Toba Caldera UNESCO Global Geopark Management Agency will revalidate Geopark Caldera Toba's status from July 21 to 25, 2025. The UNESCO assessment team plans to visit several sites in the Lake Toba area, including the Eden 100 Park in North Sionggang Village, Toba Regency. Visits will also be made to Samosir Island, Samosir Regency, North Sumatra, to observe several geosites or geological heritage sites.

Lake Toba will also host the Trail of the Kings — Lake Toba, a cross-country running event organized by the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) World Series. Around 2,200 runners from 25 countries will participate in the event, which will take place in Samosir from October 17 to 19.

"Several important geosites are located in Samosir. So, we hope for collective efforts, including the arrangement of the long beach and this world event, Samosir can regain the green card of Geopark Kaldera Toba," said Bobby.

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