Jakarta: The rich culinary legacy of Indonesia has been emphasized by the country’s tourism ministry as a crucial tactic to draw in more overseas visitors.

On February 7, Hariyanto, the ministry’s deputy for tourism and infrastructure development, stated that one of Indonesia’s top priorities, both now and in the future, is culinary tourism.

The official emphasized that Western visitors can choose from a variety of local delicacies in Indonesia, including fried rice, soto (traditional Indonesian soup), and gado-gado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce).

He went on to say that because Indonesian culinary tourism is so intriguing and limitless, it has a far higher potential to boost foreign visitor expenditure than other travel locations.

To promote Indonesian culinary tourism, he said that the Ministry of Tourism is currently focusing on culinary products to ensure that tourism products can move up a class. It is also paying attention to wellness tourism, gastronomy, marine, and fashion.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the average expenditure of foreign tourists during their visit to Indonesia was around 1,391 USD in 2024. Acting head of the BPS, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, said that the expenditure was mostly for accommodation as well as food and beverages, which accounted for 57.49% of foreign tourists’ total spending.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, international visitors stayed in the country for roughly 10.39 nights and spent an average of 1,287 USD per visit. -Vietnam News/ANN