NTB Government Targets Increased Tourist Spending Through Culinary Festival

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Government is targeting an increase in tourist spending as part of a strategy to strengthen creative economy-based tourism through the Mandalika Street Food Festival 2026. Head of the NTB Tourism Office, Ahmad Nur Aulia, stated that the event aims to extend visitors’ length of stay in order to generate a greater economic impact for local businesses. “The strength of NTB tourism lies not only in its natural panoramas but also in the cultural and culinary richness that forms the region’s identity,” he said in a statement in Mataram on Saturday. The festival, scheduled for 10 to 12 July 2026, is part of the government’s effort to position Mandalika as a destination known not only for international sporting events but also for culinary, cultural, and creative economy tourism. Aulia noted that the street food festival in the Mandalika area of Central Lombok Regency serves as a promotional platform for local businesses to introduce their products to both domestic and international tourists. “This event is our commitment to providing a wider promotional space for local businesses while enriching the experience of tourists visiting NTB,” he said. The Mandalika Street Food Festival 2026 will feature 24 food stalls and restaurants, eight coffee shops, and five craft and textile MSMEs from Lombok Island. Visitors can enjoy a variety of traditional dishes, including ayam taliwang, sate rembiga, sate bulayak, sate tanjung, nasi balap, and an assortment of traditional snacks. Aulia expressed hope that the festival would create a multiplier effect for the hospitality, transportation, trade, and micro-business sectors, given its proximity to the Pocari Sweat Run Lombok 2026 sporting event. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels in NTB in May 2026 reached 41.07 percent, up 5.01 points from April 2026 and up 2.31 points compared to May 2025. Conversely, the occupancy rate of non-star hotels was recorded at 27.99 percent, an increase of 1.39 points month-on-month but a decrease of 3.75 points year-on-year. The average length of stay for guests in star-rated hotels was 1.86 days, while the average for non-star hotels fell to 1.55 days. BPS also noted that star-rated hotels accommodated 118,585 guests, with 61.34 percent domestic and 38.66 percent foreign visitors, while non-star hotels recorded 156,261 guests, comprising 55.79 percent domestic and 44.21 percent foreign visitors.