chemical factors. This will result in disruption of
fish habitat and can affect the function of organisms
in the ecosystem. As explained by Shuai et al.
(2017) chemical factors such as DO, water clarity,
NH4- N concentration and TDS will influence fish
to find food. Consistent habitat will affect the role of
organisms in the ecosystem.
Based on the review above, the waters of Lake
Toba are also used as a means of fish farming by the
local community. This is a form of concern for the
Regional Government, in this case the Provincial
Government of North Sumatra in improving the
standard of living of local communities, as well as
serving as a means of tourism for domestic and
foreign tourists. (Kartamihardja, 2012).
Based on various publications, the recorded Lake
Toba fish community reaches 18 species, whereas
Kartamihardja found 13 species and several new
introduced fish. Introduced species such as tilapia
and goldfish were introduced to Lake Toba in 1940
and 1937, respectively. (Sarnita, 1999).
Currently, the Lake Toba area is the center of
tourism in North Sumatra. The main attraction is the
panoramic view of the blue expanse of water, which
makes this lake the largest lake tourist attraction in
Indonesia. Data on tourist visits between 1990 and
1995, about 500 thousand people per year, and 20
percent of them are foreign tourists (Dinas
Pariwisata DT II Simalungun, 1996, unpublished).
The low diversity index and the uniformity index
of living things in the Lake Toba waters were caused
by waste in the environment. Environmental waste
in lake waters is influenced by physical-chemical
properties, such as temperature, pH, organic matter,
inorganic substances, salinity, and others. Afonina &
Tashlykova (2018) stated the temperature of water,
minerals, and pH, the main factors for determining
the abiotic and biotic components of a waters,
greatly influences the structure of the plankton
community. Plankton play a role in the nitrogen
cycle and its response to changes in environmental
factors in freshwater ecosystems.
With regard to tourism development, of the 147
hamlets / villages scattered around Lake Toba, 15 of
which are tourism and business areas that also
support tourism such as Parapat, Balige, and
Panguruan; 12 locations have undeveloped tourism
potential; and others are villages / hamlets not
related to tourism. Overall, there are 27 locations
that need to be given attention in the utilization of
their area, especially water areas, to maintain natural
conditions. Thus, tourism activities and their
development can continue to be supported.
In order to synergize various government
policies with the existence of floating net cages
(KJA) in Lake Toba, which was originally based on
the lack of agricultural produce there, KJA is the
answer to various problems.
Lake Toba in North Sumatra is a popular
destination for local and foreign tourists. The
government of Indonesia expects foreign arrivals to
Lake Toba to increase from 250,000 to 1 million
people over the next four years (The Jakarta Post,
2017). There are many development projects, as well
as promotional efforts carried out by the Ministry of
Tourism Indonesia, aiming to welcome the
international tourists to Lake Toba, thus, generating
tourism revenue for the country. Therefore, in
supporting the ministry’s efforts, this study attempts
to explore and analyze tourists’ experiences in Lake
Toba as a tourism destination.
In Indonesia, the tourism sector has become the
center of attention of the government today and is a
mainstay of state revenue. Jokowi's government has
determined tourism as a priority sector that can
boost the economy. Tourism is an important job
creator, employing millions of people around the
world. (Manurung, et.al. 2020).
Lake Toba has the potential to attribute tourist
destinations on the 5A system. In terms of the level
of local community participation, the community
response to its involvement in tourism-destination
attributes in Lake Toba can be categorized in the
“partnership” phase. (Wiweka, et. al., 2020).
One of the developing tourism areas in the North
Sumatera is the Lake Toba. The government has set
this area as one of the main national tourism
destination Samosir, Toba Samosir, Simalungun,
North Tapanuli, Humbang Hasundan, Karo, and
Dairi, and is located in the center of Batak culture
with several of subethnic, including Simalungun,
Tapanuli, Karo, and Pakpak, and also various
traditions.
This sub-ethnic cluster possesses various cultural
resources which are mainly reserved in rural areas. It
also owns a large topographic and lake surface
potential for various economic and noneconomic
activities. From the perspective of tourism
development, the existence of these resources is
valuable assets to force the development of tourism.
Extensively, lakes are identified by many
countries and destinations in tourism promotional
campaigns, whether it provides a key image of
destination or an attractive backdrop for other leisure
activities. Due to that, attention should be given to
lake tourism as it falls under natural environment
that promotes both tourism and recreational