USU PUBLIC RELATIONS – The Faculty of Engineering of Universitas Sumatera Utara (FT USU) held an International Summer Course entitled “Sustainable Tourism Planning and Design: North Sumatra Experience” on Tuesday (September 15, 2026). Held at the USU Faculty of Engineering Hall, the event focused on sustainable tourism planning and design by utilizing the cultural and landscape potential of North Sumatra, particularly the Lake Toba Caldera area.

In his remarks, USU Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, and Cooperation, Prof. Dr. Eng. Himsar Ambarita, S.T., M.T., stated that the Summer Course was one of USU’s international activities aimed at strengthening academic relations with students from various countries.

(Photo: Amri Affandi Simatupang)

International activities such as the Summer Course provide students with opportunities to gain new experiences and interact with participants from other countries. According to him, such activities can contribute to USU’s efforts to develop international cooperation.

“In recent years, Universitas Sumatera Utara has hosted several international activities. The objective is that we want to develop our industry through various international activities,” he explained.

On the same occasion, Dean of the USU Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Dr. Ir. Renita Manurung, M.T., stated that the Faculty of Engineering plays a role in supporting the development of North Sumatra through education and human resource development, particularly in the field of urban and regional planning.

“Through educational activities, we prepare experts in urban planning as one of the contributions of the Faculty of Engineering to urban planning in Medan and North Sumatra Province,” she explained.

She added that the Summer Course was also one way of providing students with learning experiences beyond the classroom. Students could directly observe how tourism concepts are implemented in the field, allowing them to gain practical understanding beyond theory.

“This Summer Course is actually one of the activities that helps develop students’ creativity. It also gives students a learning experience outside the classroom, allowing them to see the learning process directly,” she said.

(Photo: Amri Affandi Simatupang)

The organizing committee chair, Prof. Ar. Ir. Nurlisa Ginting, M.Sc., Ph.D., IAI, stated that the Summer Course was designed to explore sustainable tourism planning and design by using the rich cultural heritage and landscapes of North Sumatra, particularly the Lake Toba Caldera, as a learning environment for participants.

“This Summer Course is designed to explore sustainable tourism planning and design by utilizing the rich cultural heritage and landscapes of North Sumatra, particularly the Lake Toba Caldera, as our learning environment,” she said.

The Summer Course was attended by 67 participants, comprising 22 international participants and 45 participants from Indonesia. The participants came from 12 universities representing nine countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, China, Bangladesh, Mali, Tanzania, and Nigeria.