Lake Toba lures visitors

JAKARTA (JP): Ajibata shore of Lake Toba, North Sumatra, will be promoted as a major tourist attraction in the province in a three-month cultural and sports festival, the Lake Toba Samosir Island Care Foundation said.

The Ajibata tourism extravaganza will be opened by North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin on Oct. 27, foundation chairman Tonggam Gultom said on Tuesday.

The shore, formerly covered with coarse brush and shrubs, has been cleared to reveal its beautiful sands, he said.

Recreational sport competitions will also be held, including for speedboats, jet ski, canoe, kayak and a 500 meter run.

He added that the festival would also feature local traditional dances and music.

The executive director of the foundation, Johnson Harianja, said the foundation was organizing a cultural night of North Sumatran dances and music to be performed on Oct. 16 at the Grand Melia Hotel in Jakarta to promote the festival.

"We will recruit actors and actresses as well as singers from North Sumatra to join the tourist promotional campaign as their contribution to the development of their home province," Harianja added. (02)