Medan (ANTARA) - The Indonesian province of North Sumatra has been taking big strides in promoting sports tourism in the post-pandemic era in the hopes of recovering and growing its economy, which took a hard knock from COVID-19.Tourism is one of North Sumatra’s prioritized sectors considering that the province wields enormous potential in the sector. The provincial government has formulated several strategies to capitalize on this potential, including holding promotional activities and assisting tourism stakeholders.With North Sumatra seeking to draw more international tourists, the province’s Office of Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy is focusing on international-level events, especially those related to sports tourism.In the post-COVID-19 era, the Bukit Lawang Jungle Trail Run, held in March 2022, marked the start of intensified sports tourism promotion by North Sumatra. The event drew 470 contestants.Three months later, North Sumatra hosted the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series 5000 Nias Pro 2022 on Sorake Beach, South Nias district. Meanwhile, the World Surf League held in June 2022 attracted a total of 5,165 foreign tourists, an increase from 3,861 the previous month.As many as 10,287 international tourists visited North Sumatra during the Lake Toba Rally National Championship in August 2022. First, they confirmed that tourism events are very promising in terms of turnover.

Source: Forbes January 16, 2024 15:41 UTC