Lake Toba News

How many knew this ? - the Indonesian govt wants to make Lake Toba another version of Bali -

Keen to spread the world's love for Bali more evenly within their archipelago, the Indonesian government has an ambitious program to develop 10 new versions of Bali. The list includes the 9th century Buddhist temple at Borobudur in Central Java, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, which the government hopes to turn into the "Monaco of Asia", Bali's neighbouring island of Lombok and Labuan Bajo, a former fishing village at the western end of the island of Flores...

That was a quote from this Bali Article ,
Lake Toba the Monaco Of Asia !!! ??

Lake Toba already was ''another version of Bali''...30 years ago.At least,it was something like what Bali used to be (for tourists,travellers etc.)

I must admit I don't see any resemblance to Monaco from either Toba or the real Bali......

i can see the potential in danu toba, labuan bajo certainly ticks all the boxes, you can never compare bali's hindu culture with lombok's... however, there are many, many other places in indo that could be popular, places just an open mind to having tourists and an international airport to bring them in...

I reported the plans for Danau Toba here https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-south-east-asia-islands-peninsula/indonesia/tourism-development-around-lake-toba although I think there was an earlier link -- if you read the comments in that link it refers to being another Monaco rather than Bali. From what I have gathered not much has changed but the airport near there is getting some more traffic.

Paul

Here is a previous post on the same subject.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-south-east-asia-islands-peninsula/indonesia/more-tourist-plans-for-danau-toba
I will look for others later.
Paul

Why doesn't Jokowi push for more places to suit hippy's and budget travellers ? Only joking ! Thanks for those previous posts Lungpaul I missed those. I realize he said Monaco but he's also spoken about '10 more Balis' .
But this seems to be the logic 'we build , they will come' . There is already a lot of competition for upmarket tourism elsewhere , even if part of Toba is turned into a little Monaco how does anyone know that it won't become a white elephant ghost town?

PICTURE - Pangururan , Lake Toba

PICTURE - Sunset , Tuk Tuk , Lake Toba

It also brings back memories of a former Thai Prime Minister - Thaksin who used to often talk about grand elite tourist developments.

They have been talking like this for eons. Sadly, they are suffering from the "build it and they will come" mentality withough doing much to support the local cultures and human development that would help attract tourists. Some of the local villages with spectacular and old rumah adat traditional houses in places like Lingga are literally rotting to the ground with no attention or assistance from the local tourism board. I went to one small local museum and it was manned by a young girl who confirmed that she was only about 10 years old.

Tuk Tuk is already becoming a ghost town if you talk to the locals. It appears there were a lot more years ago until they changed the visa rules and it has never recovered. About 4 years ago they put in new gutters on the main road many of which were changed as they blocked driveways. The new road was just built last year -- even then I don't think the small roads were fixed. There seem to be many big hotels that are empty but there may be tourist groups in them that people like TTers never use.

There is a small airport nearby but I believe it is underdeveloped and there is no ferry that is supposed to bring tourists to the island (they have to go to Parapet for ferries) -- there is little to no transport available even if there were transport.

The condition of the museums and artefacts in the Karo Highlands is a disgrace -- so many are just left outside to rot (or are houses in the process of rotting).

I see a lot of talk from time to time but no action.

Paul

They are spending a lot of money on roads, railway, etc in/around Lake Toba. Meanwhile no money is invested on the rest of North Sumatra's tourist sites. They should be a one.

It appears there were a lot more years ago until they changed the visa rules and it has never recovered.

And as a digression a similar thing seemed to have happened to Lake Maninjau. There used to be a growing scene around Bayur village with places like Lillies Homestay , Rizal Beach Homestay etc etc plus restaurants and bars but then when the visa rules and terrorist incidents occurred it all seemed to become empty .

#10, #11 agree entirely -- they need to develop the region a whole. Have more trains to Siantur and the airport, have (decent) buses meet the trains to go to Parapat. Good transport between Parapat and Bukut Lawang and between Parapat and Bukittinggi. No mafia. Develop the Karo highlands and Danau Minanjau. Develop the transport to Aceh (without the religious police).

So much could be done that would really put the Northern part of Sumatra on the map.

Paul

Well there are a few pieces of infrastructure:

Cashless highway tolls - October coming, essential as the queues for toll booths make the existing toll roads pointless
Airport - Medan - Binjai highway - under construction, this should be ok, eliminate basically all traffic between Medan and Bukit Lawang
Binjai - Bukit Lawang road - very bad condition, needs urgent repair
railway in Medan - being doubled, taking forever
railway Binjai - Medan - airport - this should function better to link with public transport
Medan - Siantar - link to the above, more trains, better times (to meet 7pm ferry easily)
Siantar - Parapat - apparently being extended, ok
buses to Bukit Lawang - should run to Bukit Lawang itself
buses from Medan to Bukit Lawang - get rid of the mafia in Medan
Lake Toba airport - stupid, Medan airport is close enough.
Bukit Lawang/Binjai - Berastagi road - 2km are impassable except by specialist 4x4 vehicle. Road on either side is smooth. Apparently impossible to approve these 2km as they are within National Park boundaries. The land should be removed from National Park boundaries, add some more land in elsewhere. Politically impossible?
Run hourly (?) buses from Bukit Lawang through to airport and vice versa. Preferably a/c.
Electricity: improve distribution so that electricity is not disrupted daily by lightning, falling trees, etc.
Water: provide affordable drilled wells in Bukit Lawang (ground water is 70m+ down underneath bedrock)
Water: shutdown all hotels discharging untreated sewage into water supplies
Rubbish collection: ensure it is functioning without bribery etc., imprison those dumping rubbish/food waste in water supplies
Rubbish collection: ensure proper collected rubbish in tourist locations visited by local tourists, fine those who do not use them
Rubbish collection: provide proper waste facilities secure against wildlife
Internet: distribute broadband to Bukit Lawang (currently available, but withheld by mafia)
Tourist sites: provide proper information about minor tourist sites, ensure that those responsible for providing tourist information cannot profit from selling tours, etc.

Direct chartered Garuda flights Silangit-SIN started yesterday.

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