Minister Luhut Says Lake Toba Development Requires Rp1tn

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that fast-tracking the development of Lake Toba in North Sumatra would require Rp1 trillion. However, he said the fund would not just come from the government, but also private companies. 

Luhut mentioned Grab Indonesia as one of the investors for the priority tourist destination.

"For Lake Toba, I was told that the calculation resulted in a figure of almost Rp1 trillion for the infrastructure, areas to visit—the spots," Luhut said at his office in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 13. 

The minister said the fund would be used to build supporting infrastructure and facilities, such as transportation. Grab Indonesia will be holding a special training for its drivers operating in areas near and around the North Sumatra's lake.

"Surely [Grab] makes infrastructure investments, and drivers training, since they are investing," Luhut said. 

In addition, Luhut said that Grab will also provide accommodation and run a promotional campaign to 108 million users. 

"Grab provides full transportation, as they have links for everything. They can link all [hotels and tour packages]. This is how we will make it—it's cheaper compared to promoting in faraway places," he said.

Meanwhile, Grab Indonesia president Ridzki Kramadibrata said the company has spent ample amount of investments for technology and operations to support Lake Toba's development as a priority travel destination. He did not say how much.

EKO WAHYUDI