N Sumatra Govt Holds Samosir Island Off-Road Competition

Samosir, North Sumatra province, Aug 20 (Antara) - The government of North Sumatra province will hold the Samosir Island Off-Road competition on August 23 to celebrate Indonesia`s 69th anniversary of independence, member of the organizing committee Meydi stated here on Wednesday. "The event will have 100 participants who will be divided into 10 teams," Meydi noted. Before the competition starts, all participants are required to attend a coaching clinic led by instructors from the Indonesia Off-Road Federation (IOF) and officials from North Sumatra government. According to Meydi, during the competition all teams will have to pass five checkpoints before heading to the finish line. Meanwhile, Samosir Island`s District Head, Mangindar Simbolon, expressed hope that the off-road competition can help promote Samosir Island`s tourism potential. According to Manindar, Samosir Island has unexplored natural beauty with the unique culture of Batak, North Sumatra`s local tribe, which can attract tourists from year to year. Samosir Island is located in the middle of Lake Toba, the largest fresh water area in Southeast Asia and is ideal for paragliding and water sports. "A lot of water sports including swimming, diving, and skiing can be developed in Samosir," Manindar pointed out. He also noted that adventure tourism such as international level "cross country" and "extreme trail-mania" can also be developed in Samosir as its people have a vision to promote tourism and are keen to transform the district. Therefore, the Samosir district government will continue to nurture every potential to make the area a nature-based tourism destination that has to be developed into a dominant sector in the district.