VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Another prestigious international sports event was just held in Indonesia. After hosting the 2022 Mandalika MotoGP in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on March 18-20 2022, this year the prestigious F1 Powerboat (F1H2O) World Championship 2023 race was held at Lake Toba, North Sumatra on February 24-26 2023.

The 2023 F1 Powerboat World Championship is the leading international series of single-seat racing boats held by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). F1H2O is attended by 10 teams with 20 drivers. In one championship, there are eight racing series with the first series in 2023 held in Lake Toba, Indonesia. After Indonesia, the next series will be held in China.

The F1 Powerboat World Championship 2023, which was attended by President Joko Widodo and several high-ranking officials of the country, is not only a prestigious racing event, but also Indonesia's effort to restore economic and tourism conditions after being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The public enthusiasm to watch the F1 Powerboat race was enormous. They did various ways to be able to watch the racers in action. One proof of the community's enthusiasm was that all accommodations in Balige City were fully occupied, from hotels to homestays, even people's homes.

The increasing flow of domestic tourists visiting the tourism area of Lake Toba to witness the F1 Powerboat helped revive the local economy. Not only hotels and inns, but also restaurants got a positive impact from the F1 Powerboat. The increase was very high during the three-day F1 Powerboat event. Based on data obtained by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the economic impact of the F1 Powerboat is estimated to reach Rp300 billion with a target of visiting tourists of up to 25,000 people.

Indonesia should be proud to have successfully held the World Powerboat Championship on Lake Toba. This cannot be separated from the role of the government, especially the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and of course, the local community and tourists who have participated in the success of this prestigious event.

Rise up Indonesia's economy and tourism!