"This is the first in Indonesia," the ministry's Deputy for Tourism Products and Activities Implementation Vinsensius Jemadu stated here on Thursday.
He assessed that Ubud was selected as a gastronomic tourist destination after observation and interactions with the community were carried out and through solid collaboration among all stakeholders in the tourism area.
According to Jemadu, Ubud's gastronomic tourism is not only about food or cuisine but also covers broader aspects, including history, local wisdom values, traditions, and lifestyles of the local community related to traditional food.
Hence, tourists will be able to experience and interact directly with the local community.
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy proposed Ubud to the UNWTO as a gastronomic tourism destination, and it was approved by the UN agency. This has also marked Ubud's position as a model for gastronomic tourism in Indonesia.
Jemadu drew attention to three stages that should be passed after going through a lengthy process since 2018, which was once hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The three stages are the analysis of Ubud's gastronomic tourism, the creation of technical designs for future development, and the creation of a strategic action plan for implementing Ubud's gastronomy tourism.
For the first stage, the Ubud gastronomic club has been formed as a forum for development of the tourist attraction.
UNWTO representative Patricia Carmona explained that Ubud deserved to be a gastronomic tourist destination due to its unique traditions, which are valuable and directly integrated with the concepts of nature, humans, and God or Balinese people's local wisdom, namely Tri Hita Karana.
She further stated that as a gastronomic tourist destination, Ubud has diversified or enriched its tourism attractiveness in addition to being famous for its arts, culture, and nature as well as become an inspiration for other regions in Indonesia.
Carmona also noted that Ubud has strong assets to become a premium gastronomic tourist destination.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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