JAKARTA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Toba Caldera in North Sumatra province was expected to become a tourist and research destination after UNESCO declared the caldera a global geopark, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
The plan is in line with the trend on natural tourism that would be increasingly attractive when the COVID-19 pandemic has petered out, Hari Sungkari, the ministry's deputy for Destinations and Infrastructure told a press conference here on Friday.
"The Toba Caldera as a UNESCO geosite is the world's recognition. The place will sell many adventures, in addition to being a destination for researchers," he said.
Meanwhile, Arie Prasetyo, President Director of the Lake Toba Tourism Authority Agency, said the agency would try to maintain the status of the Toba Caldera as the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) global geopark.
"We develop the tourism and keep paying attention to the ecosystems and environmental sustainability," he said.
The Toba Caldera was declared a UNESCO global geopark at the 209th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris on July 2. The UN body validates the geoparks' status every four years.
Besides Toba, other Indonesia's UNESCO global geoparks are Mount Batur in Bali, the Ciletuh natural landscape in West Java, the Gunung Sewu mountain range covering Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java as well as Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara. Enditem
