During the visit, General Manager of Grand Mercure Maha Cipta Medan Angkasa, Rachmad Suwardi, expressed his commitment to building collaboration, particularly in the development of religious tourism in North Sumatra, which he believes has strong potential, especially within the Muslim-friendly tourism sector.
“We are also seeking to collaborate on exhibitions at UMSU related to religious tourism. The Muslim-friendly tourism market in North Sumatra has enormous potential. If this initiative moves forward, hotel occupancy rates will certainly increase as well,” he stated.
He added that the visit also marked an initial step toward establishing a long-term partnership ahead of the 2027 Muhammadiyah Congress.
“Our purpose in coming here is to support the upcoming Muhammadiyah Congress. We would be delighted to collaborate in tourism training and MSME development,” he added.
Responding to this, UMSU Rector Akrim stated that Grand Mercure Maha Cipta Medan Angkasa has long been a worthy partner for UMSU, and he welcomed the expansion of cooperation.
“Our partnership has been progressing well. Thank you for your visit. This meeting is very encouraging, especially with the creative ideas to strengthen tourism cooperation,” said the Rector.
According to him, the concept of religious tourism aligns with initiatives previously developed by UMSU, including halal tourism programs.
“We are opening a new horizon for cooperation in religious tourism. We can create joint tourism packages together. In the past, we also initiated halal tourism programs,” he explained.
The Rector also emphasized that North Sumatra possesses strong religious tourism attractions that can be integrated with social programs and university academic activities.
“Religious tourism in North Sumatra is very appealing, especially when combined with social programs, and in the future we can expand our collaboration even further,” he noted.
He expressed hope that the partnership between Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara and Grand Mercure Maha Cipta Medan Angkasa would continue to grow more intensively in the future.
“We hope this cooperation can be strengthened and expanded more intensively in the years ahead,” he said.
Also attending the meeting were UMSU Vice Rector III Rudianto, Secretary of the UMSU Board of Trustees Mutholib along with board member Dalail Ahmad, and bureau heads within UMSU.
Representing Grand Mercure Maha Cipta Medan Angkasa were Director of Sales and Marketing Debby Silvia Reny and Assistant Sales Manager Dedek Syahputra.
