Beyond Lake Toba: North Sumatra’s Emerging Tourist Destinations Shine at Astex

Published on November 27, 2025

Tourists from all over the world have praised Lake Toba in North Sumatra for its beauty, but North Sumatra is now shifting its focus to promoting other tourist destinations, such as Bukit Lawang and Tangkahan, to travel companies. This focus was evident at the Astindo Sumut Travel Exchange (Astex) in Medan earlier this month. This event had 72 local sellers and 117 buyers, both domestic and international. This proves how North Sumatra is marketing and growing in the tourism industry and expanding in different destinations besides Lake Toba.

Even though Lake Toba is the crowning jewel in North Sumatra, places like Bukit Lawang and Tangkahan, which have had little to no promotion in the past, are getting more and more visitors. During the business-to-business (B2B) matching sessions at Astex, industry representatives from multiple countries discussed this growing trend to find new ways to promote and connect to untapped destinations.

Lake Toba: Still the Heart of North Sumatra Tourism

For many years, Toba Lake, a large volcanic crater lake with exquisite scenery and rich culture, and adjoining Samosir Island have served as the primary focus of North Sumatra tourism. Travellers from various international destinations flock to the area to enjoy the various outdoor activities available and the beautiful scenery.

Lake Toba is still a popular destanation. But stakeholders in other regions of North Sumatra want to extend their tourism offerings as well. Tangkahan and Bukit Lawang, for example, are tourism sites promoted to diversy the tourism experience to extend visitor stays and encourage more destinations within North Sumatra.

Bukit Lawang: A Gateway to Rainforest Adventures and Orangutan Sightings

For its of having the last single wild orangutan sightings, Bukit Lawang, a village close to the Gunung Leuser National Park has captured the attention of many recently. Tourists can now trek to watch wild orangutan and other incredible animals in the thick rainforest.

When in Bukit Lawang, guests can participate in various activities including guided treks in the jungle, tubing along the river, and visiting the nearby national park, a UNESCO-listed site of biodiversity. Bukit Lawang is now being included in the itineraries of visitors going to Lake Toba, offering both the stunning views of the lake and the wildlife adventures Bukit Lawang has to offer.

Tangkahan, North Sumatra’s Hidden Gem for Eco-Tourism

Tangkahan, close to Bukit Lawang, is gaining popularity among visitors looking for an eco-tourism experience in North Sumatra. Tangkahan or the ‘Hidden Paradise’ provides a peaceful surrounding and an opportunity for patrons to indulge in activities like elephant trekking, river safaris, and jungle trekking. The site is also renowned for wildlife protection, especially for its work with elephants and orangutans, which is much in line with eco-tourism.

Tangkahan is peaceful and has an emphasis on conservation and sustainable tourism, especially for those looking to avoid crowded places. With better roads and infrastructure, Tangkahan is a great destination for those looking to explore North Sumatra’s natural beauty.

Astex 2025: North Sumatra’s Increasing Charms

Astex 2025 was a good point for North Sumatra’s tourism interest as the first event to unite Summatra’s tourism players for a talk on the strategies to grow the exploitation potential of the region. Summatra tourism players got the chance to collaborate with global buyers as the event provided the necessary B2B networking and business matching.

The event’s promotional focus was also on the lesser promoted emerging destinations like Bukit Lawang and Tangkahan, in addition to the established destination, Lake Toba. North Sumatra’s hub potential ignites a tour marketer’s passion and curiosity for new value adding partnerships and business synergies in tourism to ensure seamless gateway distribution of both old and new destination for travelers on global scale.

Astex inclusion of Bukit Lawang and Tangkahan was in sync with the emerging global tourism demand. North Sumatra’s extends the tourism offerings border to cater to different travelers to seek for wildlife, cultural, or calm.

How Sustainable Tourism is Helping North Sumatra Grow

With North Sumatra expanding its tourism activities, the need for focusing on sustainability, especially eco-tourism, is needed to help preserve the region’s natural assets. Areas such as Bukit Lawang and Tangkahan are becoming illustrations of responsible tourism where the preserving of nature and involvement of the local communities are intertwined into the tourist experience.

North Sumatra’s travel experience creators do not only intend to help the local communities but also intend to help protect the region’s ecosystems. With this focus on positive tourism, the growing tourism industry in a region will sustain the tourism industry’s eco positive impacts.

Predictions for North Sumatra’s Tourism Industry

Being a region where authentic and untouched destinations are available, North Sumatra is being positioned as one of the most important eco-tourism and adventure travel destinations. Extending the tourism activities beyond Lake Toba is a great move in diversifying the region’s tourism activities. Eco-adventures in Tangkahan, and wildlife activities in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra will broaden the fully packed activities to the region’s most famous lake.

By investing more into buildings and stable and reliable structures and practices, North Sumatra will be a major contributor to growing tourism within Indonesia. The area will most definitely attract and entertain tourists for a long time to come, and as they will be able to implement their new experiences while still holding onto the natural beauty for years to come.