Development Priority Policies for Impact Control and the Recovery of Natural Tourism in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia

North Sumatra has abundant natural resources and potential as a tourist destination for the wider community. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted natural tourism, including in North Sumatra, where several tourist attractions have closed their businesses. This study aims to formulate policy priorities for the impact control and restoration of natural tourism sites in North Sumatra. We analyzed the decline in visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on the number of visitors, the types of tourist attraction facilities that suffered the most damage, the influence of facility type on the decline in tourist visits, and the aspects of tourism that decreased the most and should be prioritized for improvement. A descriptive statistical analysis, difference tests, and multiple linear regression analyses were used. We found factors that influenced visitor changes before and during the pandemic, as well as afterwards. Our results show that an important development priority is to control the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the decline in tourist attractions. We also propose important recommendations for priority policies aimed at the restoration of facilities in the post-COVID-19 development of natural tourism in North Sumatra.