Lake Toba tourism suffers from BPODT apathy

Thursday, April 25, 2019

As disputes over land in North Sumatra’s Toba Samosir regency continue to remain unresolved, activists and members of the public urged the central government to disband the Lake Toba Authority (BPODT) over its lack of contribution towards the local economy and tourism.

Tourism activist and environmentalist Sebastian Hutabarat complained that the BPODT had done little to improve tourism around the world-famous Lake Toba since its establishment in 2016.

The number of tourists – both domestic and international – visiting the region had plummeted in recent years, he said.

“The BPODT comes across as powerless when it comes to boosting tourism around Lake Toba. They seem to be merely acting as investors looking to acquire lands;that is why local tourism has remained stagnant,” Sebastian told reporters on Friday.

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