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Plan to reinvent Lake Toba as ‘halal’ tourist destination sparks controversy
Amid the hullabaloo, a poster for the Lake Toba Pork Festival has circulated on social media. The event, which will take place from Oct. 25 to 26, is set to feature a pork-based culinary competition, selfies with pigs and a pig stall-cleaning competition, among other things, according to the poster. (rfa)
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Lake Toba, North Sumatra, seen from a hillside coffee plantation. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he North Sumatra administration recently announced a plan to initiate halal tourism around Lake Toba in Samosir regency in a bid to attract more Muslim tourists from neighboring Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. However, the plan has received a less-than-favorable reception as some members of the public argue that such a concept would contravene local customs in the regency, which is a predominantly Christian area.
North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi said last week that the administration would soon promote halal tourism to lure an influx of Muslim visitors from neighboring countries. The plan, he said, would also entail a policy regarding food vendors that sell pork-based food.
North Sumatra administration general assistant M. Fitriyus said the governor’s plan was never intended as an attempt at "Islamization". The administration would issue an official clarification to prevent misinformation among the public, he said.
“People are acting as if the North Sumatra administration wanted to eradicate local traditions and cultures by initiating halal tourism. This is simply false; we never intended to Islamize Lake Toba. We simply aim to increase the number of tourist amenities that specifically cater to international Muslim visitors,” Fitriyus told the press on Saturday.
He went on to say that halal services and facilities such as halal restaurants and houses of prayer were essential to accommodate the needs of Muslim tourists. He said the administration would strive to maximize tourism potential in the region by catering to Muslim visitors from neighboring countries.
“The fact of the matter is, we’ve seen a steady increase in Muslim tourists visiting Lake Toba over the years. It’s only logical that the administration fully commits to halal tourism [around Lake Toba],” Fitriyus added.
North Sumatra Culture and Tourism Agency head Ria Novida Telaumbanua said establishing and improving tourist facilities was vital to bolster local tourism. There are three core elements of tourism that need to be fulfilled, namely attraction, accessibility and amenities, she said.
