Even as domestic travel resumes, tourism businesses at the famous lake are yet to see the return of foreign visitors.

It was early June when Saragi was busy clearing leaves that had drifted to shore near the hotel where he works at Lake Toba in Tuktuk Siadong, Samosir, North Sumatra.

The hotel seemed crowded with families that day, and the lifeguard did not want them to feel inconvenienced by debris and trash on the lakeshore.

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"[I hope] that guests with children can swim in comfort," said Saragi, who is in his 50s, adding that he always made sure that the hotel guests wore life jackets when swimming in the lake.

Saragi has worked at the hotel for more than 10 years and has been back full-time for just a few months, two years since the pandemic hit the Lake Toba tourism industry. He said he had to look for additional work during those two years, as the hotel was only able to pay him and his colleagues half their wages.

He can now start smiling with hope, as COVID-19 cases have gradually receded and the government has started to allow hotels and restaurants to operate again. He and dozens of other hotel workers are again busy as tourist activities begin to recover.

"Now, [Lake Toba] is getting busy again. Guests keep coming and the hotel rooms are occupied again," he said.

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