North Sumatra hosts Geofest at Lake Toba
Lake Toba has been selected as the host city for the 7th Geotourism Festival and International Conference (Geofest). This international event offers the UNESCO Global Geopark Toba Caldera (UGGp) the opportunity to expand its network and strengthen cooperation with geoparks from various countries.
This network strengthening is expected to stimulate tourism growth and reinforce the position of the Toba Caldera within the global geopark network. Thanks to this collaboration, the Toba Caldera has the potential to be included in travel packages for geoparks in the Asia-Pacific region.
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“We will strengthen cooperation with other geoparks, for example the Lenggong Geopark, the Langkawi Geopark, geoparks in Thailand, the Philippines, and others. This cooperation will launch during the 7th Geofest,” said Azizul Kholis, Director General of the UNESCO Global Geopark Toba Caldera, during a press conference at the office of the Governor of North Sumatra, Jalan Diponegoro No. 30, Medan.
The 7th Geofest will take place from July 1 to 5, 2026, in three regions around Lake Toba: Simalungun, Samosir, and Karo. A varied program has been organized, including the signing of a cooperation agreement between UGGp (Organizations for the Strengthening of Geopark Governance), a seminar on strengthening geopark governance, the inauguration of new geosites, and an international scientific forum.
“This event is quite extensive. The preliminary program took place in Raja Ampat, followed by the main event, which we organized. This was followed by the after-event in Lenggong. We will certainly make the most of this event to make the Toba Caldera even more famous worldwide,” said Azizul.
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On this occasion, the UNESCO World Geopark Toba Caldera will also designate at least 40 new geosites. These additional geosites are expected to enrich tourism opportunities and extend visitors’ stays in the Lake Toba region.
“We are adding 40 extra geosites to the Toba Caldera so that visitors have more choice and can stay longer,” he said.
Meanwhile, Adryanta Putra Ginting, Head of the Tourism Development Department of the Agency for Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy of North Sumatra (Disbudparekraf), stated that the Provincial Government of North Sumatra (Pemprov) will fully support the 7th Geofest.
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He is convinced that this event of international scale can have a significant impact on the local economy, increase the number of tourists, and strengthen the international image of Lake Toba.
“We will fully support the event, especially because it is an international event. Hopefully, it will stimulate the local economy, increase the number of visitors, and boost the popularity of Lake Toba worldwide,” said Adryanta. ***rel
