Following the success of last year's event, the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), held its second Summer Course from May 14 to 22, 2024. Titled "International Summer Course Tourism Planning and Design: North Sumatera Experience," the program attracted 90 participants from eight countries—Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Germany, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Timor-Leste—participating both online and in person.

 

The course was led by Prof. Ir. Nurlisa Ginting, M.Sc., Ph.D., IPM, Director of the Urban and Settlement Laboratory and the Center of Excellence in Sustainable Tourism at USU. Prof. Nurlisa, an expert in sustainable development and tourism destination planning, designed the 2024 Summer Course to deepen participants' understanding of sustainable tourism destination planning and design.

 

The opening ceremony, held on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, was attended by Prof. Dr. Eng. Himsar Ambarita, S.T., M.T., Director of Internationalization and Global Partnerships at USU; Dr. Ir. Fahmi, S.T., M.Sc., IPM, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; Dr. Wahyuni Zahrah, S.T., M.S., Head of the Architecture Department; the Summer Course 2024 Committee Chair; faculty members; invited guests; and both online and offline participants.

 

The Summer Course comprised 12 sessions focusing on Sustainable Tourism, delivered by nine keynote speakers from both local and international institutions. The first 10 sessions were conducted online via Zoom over four days. On the fifth day, participants joined an offline excursion to Simalem Resort, visiting Huta Sialagan and Batu Hoda Beach on Samosir Island. The 11th session was held on the sixth day, followed by group discussions at Simalem Resort.

 

Offline participants experienced Batak culture firsthand at Huta Sialagan by observing traditional architecture and artifacts, as well as participating in a local dance. Johanna Adlin Ahmad, a master's student from Universiti Teknologi Mara Pulau Pinang Cam, shared her highlight: "I wanted to see the Batak Village, which is the highlight of my trip. My most memorable experience is seeing Huta Sialagan and doing the dance."

 

Simalem Resort also served as an observational site for students from architecture and hospitality backgrounds. Participants came from diverse fields, including business, actuarial science, cultural studies, and languages. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Mageswari Ranjanthran from Sunway University, Malaysia, remarked, "Awesome job from day one planning, to the virtual conference, and bringing us here (Samosir)."

 

The course concluded with final project presentations from participants and the closing ceremony at Simalem Resort's Meeting Room. The event was attended by the Head of USU's Architecture Department, the Summer Course 2024 Committee Chair, faculty members, Prof. Baddarudin from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), international participants from Malaysia, China, Germany, Indonesia, and the organizing committee.

 

The 2024 Summer Course wrapped up successfully with a group photo, and there is hope that the program will continue in the coming years with even more participants. The goal is to enhance awareness and practice of sustainable tourism planning now and for the future.