Gastronomic Tourism in Indonesia is gaining increasing attention as the way international travelers choose experiences at a destination continues to change. Food is no longer always treated as an additional part of a trip. It can become a reason for someone to choose a destination, seek out a particular area, or even visit the place where the ingredients and dishes they want to try originate.
Data from Statistics Indonesia, as presented by the Ministry of Tourism, shows that 58.34% of international tourists visiting Indonesia in 2025 engaged in culinary or gastronomic tourism activities. This figure makes gastronomy the second most popular tourist activity among international visitors after city tourism.
The size of this figure shows that culinary experiences are becoming increasingly important in tourism in Indonesia. Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri also described gastronomy as part of the government’s flagship quality tourism program because food can serve as a gateway for tourists to discover the culture, traditions, and stories behind a destination.
This change is interesting because travel patterns are also shifting. Tourists are not always looking for the most famous places or the easiest experiences to find. There is a growing tendency to seek something more local, authentic, and connected to a story. In Indonesia, this creates opportunities for areas that have not traditionally been major international tourist destinations to introduce their identity through food, agricultural products, traditions, festivals, and community activities.
The potential is certainly significant, but developing it requires more than promotion alone. The government is now encouraging the development of a roadmap connecting destinations, industry, events, marketing, and supply chains so that gastronomy can grow as an ecosystem that generates broader benefits.
Gastronomic Tourism in Indonesia Is Changing How Travelers Discover a Destination
Food has the ability to introduce the character of a region in ways that ordinary destination promotion may not be able to achieve. Travelers can see how ingredients are produced, understand traditional preparation methods, meet communities that preserve certain recipes, and discover the connection between food and the geographical characteristics of an area.
Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri said that gastronomy has a strategic position because food can become a gateway for tourists to directly experience the culture, traditions, and stories of a destination. For this reason, gastronomic development is increasingly being positioned as part of quality tourism rather than merely as a consumption activity.
Changes in traveler behavior are also supporting this approach. Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism Ni Made Ayu Marthini said gastronomic development needs to cover destinations, industry, events, and marketing. According to her, Wonderful Indonesia Gastronomy, which has only been running for two years, is still in its early stages of systematically mapping this potential.
“This is only the second year that we have been doing this. After this, the deputy-level teams will map each aspect, such as what the destinations should look like, how the industry should develop, what kinds of events should be created, and how they should be marketed,” Made said.
The statement shows that gastronomy is being directed toward becoming part of a destination strategy rather than remaining simply a food promotion campaign. When a particular dish successfully attracts tourists, the next requirement is to ensure there are places they can visit, activities they can participate in, consistent product quality, adequate access, and an experience that matches their expectations.
The development of digital media is strengthening these opportunities. Local food that was previously known only within a particular region can now be discovered through social media and digital platforms. A dish can attract the attention of tourists who have never even heard of the area where it originated. From there, food can become a reason to seek more information about a destination.
“The more local it is, the more special it becomes. The more it exists around us, the more sought after it becomes. So mainstream experiences are actually being left behind,” Made said.
The statement illustrates an important shift in the travel industry. As tourists increasingly seek local experiences, destinations do not necessarily have to offer something spectacular on a large scale. The uniqueness embedded in food, ingredients, traditions, and local community life can become a tourism asset just as important.
This also explains why developing Gastronomic Tourism in Indonesia cannot rely solely on increasing promotion. High exposure needs to be followed by consistent quality. Tourists who arrive after seeing content about local food will have certain expectations. If their experience on the ground does not match the information they previously encountered, that attraction will struggle to develop into a long-term reputation.
For this reason, improving quality is becoming an important part of gastronomic development. Products need to be maintained, food safety needs to be addressed, local identity needs to be preserved, and tourism experiences need to meet reasonable standards. The more tourists arrive because of a particular culinary product, the greater the need to maintain the quality of the products and services supporting that experience.
The Growth of Gastronomic Tourism in Indonesia Is Opening New Destinations Beyond Jakarta and Bali
Jakarta and Bali have long been two major destinations with relatively well-developed infrastructure for tourists, including the needs of the gourmet industry. However, the growth of gastronomy is opening much broader possibilities for other regions across Indonesia.
Founder of the Indonesia Gastronomy Network Vita Datau views Indonesia’s culinary wealth as a major asset that needs to be managed more systematically. Indonesia has an enormous diversity of food ingredients and traditions, but the economic benefits of that wealth depend on the ability to connect the entire value chain from upstream to downstream.
Local food trends emerging through social media are also considered a potential entry point for areas that were previously not known as gastronomic destinations. Particular food products can encourage tourists to search for where those ingredients or dishes come from and eventually visit the region themselves.
“In developing gastronomy, there are stakeholders. Ownership is also extremely important, so ownership by local governments is very important because kimpul is one of the region’s assets,” Vita said.
An example such as kimpul shows how gastronomy can become part of a region’s economic identity. Food does not stop at being a product for consumption. It can also tell stories about agriculture, raw materials, community habits, and the geographical conditions of the place where the product originates.
A similar pattern can be seen in the development of several tourism villages. Indonesia Tourism Outlook 2025-2026, prepared by Bank Indonesia, the Ministry of Tourism, and Bappenas, noted that culinary and gastronomic experiences in Indonesia have developed into attractions in their own right. Domestic tourists tend to seek authentic experiences through traditional food festivals, cooking classes, and farm-to-table concepts, while international tourists are more interested in the stories behind food as part of the experience of discovering a destination.
Pujon Kidul Tourism Village in Malang Regency is one example. Tourists can enjoy food amid rice field landscapes while also participating in farming activities, harvesting, fishing, exploring gardens, and purchasing freshly harvested products directly from local communities.
Similar patterns can also be found in Candirejo Tourism Village in Magelang and Bonjeruk in Lombok. Models like these expand the gastronomic experience beyond simply eating into activities that connect tourists with production processes, the environment, and local communities.
This change provides an interesting direction for Indonesian tourism. When tourists travel in search of a particular food, their journey can develop into an exploration of where that food originates. Travel duration and patterns may also become more diverse as destinations previously known mainly to local communities begin attracting attention from tourists from other regions or from abroad.
However, expanding destinations also creates greater demands for experience quality. An increase in tourist arrivals without adequate service readiness can create a gap between expectations and actual conditions. Therefore, gastronomic development needs to move alongside improvements in product quality, food safety, accessibility, service, destination information, and the capacity of local businesses.
Vita Datau also emphasized that the gastronomic trend is shifting from simply tasting food toward discovering its origins. Travelers may increasingly be interested in visiting the places where food ingredients are produced and seeing how particular dishes developed in their original environments.
“Where is it heading? It is definitely heading toward quality. Because we have to stop talking about being massive while not improving quality,” she said.
The statement is relevant as Indonesia seeks to expand its gastronomic destinations. The number of destinations and products being promoted is certainly important, but long-term strength will depend more heavily on the ability to preserve the quality and uniqueness of each region.
In the long run, this pattern could expand the travel map for foreign tourists in Indonesia. Experiences that were initially concentrated in popular destinations could spread toward smaller cities, tourism villages, food-producing areas, and regions offering more specific local experiences. As this network of destinations develops, the needs of foreign tourists while staying in Indonesia will also become increasingly diverse.
Gastronomic Tourism in Indonesia and Visa Requirements for Foreign Travelers
As tourism destinations and experiences become more diverse, travel planning is becoming an increasingly important part of the journey for foreign travelers. A trip that initially seems simple can develop into a longer, multi-region itinerary, especially when travelers want to explore several destinations at once.
In this context, immigration requirements need to be understood based on the purpose and duration of the visit. Foreign travelers need to ensure that the visa they use matches the purpose of their arrival and the applicable length-of-stay rules. This is important because tourism, business activities, employment, and longer-term stays are governed by different types of permits.
The development of Gastronomic Tourism in Indonesia does not mean that every traveler who wants to explore more regions automatically requires a particular residence permit. However, the longer and more complex the travel plan becomes, the more important it is to confirm one’s immigration status from the beginning. Administrative issues that arise after someone has already arrived in Indonesia can disrupt travel plans and may even affect their ability to continue their stay as intended.
This becomes more relevant when a person’s relationship with Indonesia develops beyond a short tourist trip. Some travelers may eventually want to return repeatedly, stay longer, bring a spouse or family, participate in certain permitted activities, or even consider Indonesia as a place to live. At that point, their immigration needs are no longer the same as those of a tourist visiting for a short period.
For this reason, visa and residence permit planning should follow a person’s actual purpose in Indonesia. Choosing the wrong type of visa or failing to account for changes in the purpose of a trip can create administrative problems that could have been avoided from the outset.
The gastronomy phenomenon also shows that a traveler’s relationship with a destination can develop gradually. Someone may initially come because of food, then become interested in local culture, return to explore other destinations, and eventually develop a longer-term connection with Indonesia. Such changes make information about visas, residence permits, and relocation increasingly relevant for some foreign travelers.
For foreign nationals making only a tourist trip, the primary focus is naturally on selecting the appropriate visa based on the purpose of the journey and length of stay. However, when the need changes into a longer stay, bringing family members, or engaging in other activities in Indonesia, the type of permit being used should be reassessed.
This is where immigration services can provide practical value. For foreign travelers who need information about visas, residence permits, or changes in status based on their permitted needs, receiving support from the beginning can help ensure that the process is handled according to their actual purpose and applicable regulations.
Bizindo provides Immigration Services to support visa and residence permit requirements for foreign nationals planning to visit or stay in Indonesia. This support can be tailored to travel needs as well as longer-term stay plans, so decisions regarding the appropriate permit are not based solely on travel duration but also on the activities that will be carried out in Indonesia.
When someone eventually decides to stay longer, their needs can also expand. Moving homes, finding accommodation, managing everyday needs, and adapting to a new environment become part of the relocation process. Bizindo Expat Relocation can support expatriates and their families as they move their lives to Indonesia and make the transition more structured.
For foreign companies or individuals who subsequently develop business interests in Indonesia, their needs may expand further into areas such as company establishment, business licensing, recruitment, accounting, and tax reporting. In this way, a person’s relationship with Indonesia can evolve from a travel experience into a longer-term connection with the country, including in the context of life and business activities.
The potential of Gastronomic Tourism in Indonesia shows that food can play a much larger role than simply being an addition to a trip. With 58.34% of international tourists visiting Indonesia in 2025 recorded as participating in culinary or gastronomic tourism activities, the sector already has an established market base. The next challenge is how to translate that wealth into quality experiences, more diverse destinations, and economic benefits that reach everyone from local businesses to food producers and suppliers.
The roadmap currently being promoted by the government is important because gastronomy brings many elements together at once. There are food, culture, destinations, industry, events, marketing, businesses, farmers, suppliers, local governments, and tourists. When all these components are connected, culinary experiences can develop into a reason for tourists to discover a wider range of regions.
Ultimately, the broader the range of experiences Indonesia offers, the more diverse the needs of foreign tourists while they are in the country. Travelers who arrive to taste local food may find reasons to return, stay longer, or discover Indonesia from a perspective that is more closely connected to everyday life within local communities.
For foreign nationals, these experiences naturally need to go hand in hand with administrative readiness. Ensuring that the visa matches the purpose of the visit, understanding the permitted length of stay, and obtaining support when the need changes into a longer stay can help the journey proceed more smoothly.
For Indonesia, the growth of gastronomy creates an opportunity to expand the tourism map beyond already popular destinations toward regions with rich local identities and stories that remain relatively unknown. For foreign travelers, this shift offers a new way to discover Indonesia, not through a single major destination, but through its food, people, and places of origin.
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