Indonesia Has Potential to Become a Global Gastronomy Hub

Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana stated that Indonesia has the potential to become a global gastronomy centre. This is due to the country’s wealth of authentic cuisine and culture. With these assets, Indonesia can offer authentic cultural and gastronomic tourism experiences to visitors. “They travel for authentic experiences, and gastronomy has become one of the strongest travel motivators in the world,” she said. The Ministry of Tourism, together with the Indonesia Gastronomy Network, has launched the Wonderful Indonesia Gourmet programme to support the development of cultural and gastronomic tourism. The programme includes support to enhance tourist experiences while also assisting local communities. The Tourism Minister noted that the development of gastronomic tourism services must be balanced with improvements in the quality of hotels, restaurants, and cafés. “The quality of hotels, restaurants, cafés, tourism services, and hospitality professionals ultimately shapes how visitors experience Indonesia,” she said. The Food and Hospitality Indonesia exhibition, held from 21 to 24 July 2026 at the Jakarta International Expo, featured over 500 companies from 32 countries. The event showcased thousands of products, technologies, and solutions for the food, beverage, and hospitality industries. The Minister described the exhibition as a key momentum to strengthen the links between the food, beverage, hospitality, and tourism sectors. She said the development of these sectors is key to improving the quality of tourist experiences while strengthening the competitiveness of Indonesian destinations in the global market. “Indonesian tourism today not only offers destinations but also experiences through gastronomy and quality hospitality services, which have become strategic assets in reinforcing the Wonderful Indonesia brand. In support of this, the presence of FHI plays an important role as a platform connecting local producers with international buyers, encouraging investment, and building partnerships to realise a more innovative, resilient, and globally competitive Indonesian tourism ecosystem,” Widiyanti said. Data from Statistics Indonesia shows that the Indonesian economy grew 5.61 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. By sector, accommodation and food and beverage services recorded the highest growth at 13.14 percent, while government consumption rose 21.81 percent. The prospects for Indonesia’s food, beverage, and hospitality industry continue to show a positive trend, contributing around 2.68 percent to the national GDP or approximately Rp639 trillion in 2025.