"Country Manager of Visit Indonesia Tourism Office of Indonesia in France," Eka Moncar told Antara London on Saturday said that the two countries signed the Will Statement of Intent aimed at promoting gastronomic tourism destinations and regional culinary cultural heritage.
Signing of the Declaration of Intent was made by the Director of the French Institute in Indonesia (IFI) Marc Piton, with the Ministry of Tourism represented by the Director of Indonesian Tourism Promotion for the European Region, Agustini Rahayu.
The Will Statement is to make specific guidelines in the local language, provide recommendations for quality places, and develop a joint cultural program which will then be promoted through various international festivals and events both in France and in Indonesia.
Gastronomy is the right entrance to invite tourists to visit other regions in both countries. Primarily, because 30 percent of the main reasons tourists who go to France are to explore their culinary paradise.
With 18 provinces in France and 34 in Indonesia, the two countries have great culinary wealth, especially the typical cuisines of each region; clearly illustrated from 1,200 variants of cheese in France and dozens of types of soto in Indonesia.
France, which has more than 1,000 cheese variants, and Indonesia, where each city has its own unique soup, gastronomic tourism is the choice generator to promote local wealth and the diversity of the culinary heritage of the two countries!
Although Indonesia and France were separated by a distance of almost 12 thousand km. but the flow of tourists between the two countries is always increasing.
France is a major tourist destination for Indonesians in Europe. In 2017, almost 150 thousand Indonesians visited France, which made Indonesia the first tourist-sending country from Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, the French people are also increasingly interested in traveling to Indonesia which makes this island nation included in the list of 10 countries favorite French tourist destinations.
In 2017, there were 274,117 thousand French tourists visiting Indonesia and in July France became the most tourist-sending country to Indonesia, followed by Britain.
However, the density of tourists in both countries is still concentrated in several areas of Paris in France and Bali in Indonesia.
For the past few years, gastronomy has become an important vehicle for "diplomacy of influence" contributing to the promotion of both countries in the eyes of the international community.
With the signing of this Will of Statement is a symbolic moment because for the first time the French Gastronomic Party was renamed the Go?t de France (French Taste) annual event held internationally.
Indonesia participated for three times in a row at the Village International de la Gastronomie (VIG) event held at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and followed by more than 50 other countries. *
Reporting by Zeynita Gibbons
Editing by Eliswan
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Eliswan Azly
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
