Development of Local Food in Tourism for Supporting Sustainable
Indonesia Tourism Development
Agustina M. Purnomo
1,2
1
PhD candidate on Sociology, Universitas Indonesia, PondokCina, Beji, Depok City, West Java, Indonesia, 16424.
2
Lecturer, Djuanda University, Puncak Highway, Ciawi, West Java, 16720
Keyword: Local food, supporting sustainable, tourism development
Abstract: This paper is structured to examine the potential of local food as one ofIndonesia's cultural diversity in
supporting sustainable tourism development. It is argued that the development of local food in tourism can
be an alternative to sustainable tourism development in Indonesia through two sides, reinforcing local
cultural identity and strengthening local economy. Papers are prepared by reviewing previous studies.
Previous research findings suggest that local food development in tourism cannot directly support
sustainability. Sustainability can occur when the focus of local food development is done on reinforcing local
food as cultural identity of the destination and focusing on micro-scale food producers.
1 INTRODUCTION
Sustainability is an important issue as priorities for
academic research aimed to improve (Buckley R,
2012). The current issue regarding sustainability is
positive triple bottom lines, including positive net
contributions to local communities and to
conservation (Buckley R, 2012). Sustainability
issues not only reduce the impact of tourism on the
environment, but also the voluntary contributions to
community wellbeing.
Food tourism development can build
sustainability in the form of contribution to
community wellbeing in two forms, forming long-
term sustainability through image building of a
destination and encouraging tourism impacts to
empower local communities (Scarpato R and
Daniele R, 2003 ), (Buckley R, 2012). The
introduction of local food can reinforce the cultural
identity of a tourist destination [5, 9, 22]. The strong
identity of a place is a tourist attraction to
differentiate from other places. There was a link
between reinforcing cultural identity and
strengthening the bargaining power of a place
through local food (Björk P and Kauppinen-
Räisänen H, 2016). The development of local food
in tourism strengthens the local economy (Scarpato
R and Daniele R, 2003 ), (Hall C M, 2006),
(Nummedal M and Hall M, 2006).
Indonesia has a great variety of local foods. Each
region in Indonesia has its own native regional food,
which is known historically as a traditional local
food of the region (Urry J, 2002). Indonesia also has
food that has been widely known by international
visitors as Indonesian food (Urry J, 2002), (Ling K
F, 2002 ). Food tourism can be an alternative
tourism development in places in Indonesia that does
not have the usual resources offered in tourism
development, known as sun, sea and sand (Kivela J
and Crotts J C, 2006). Food and beverages can be a
major tourist destination, an enhancement to the
attractiveness of a tourist destination or just what
visitors need when traveling ((Hall C M and
Sharples L, 2003), p 10-12). Food has the potential
to be developed in Indonesia either as the primary
purpose of the visit or as an enhancer of the
destination's attractiveness. This is because the
expense of visitors to eat and drink during travel is
the second largest expenditure average of all
expenses during the tour (Hall C M and Sharples L,
2003).
Referring to the above explanation, it is argued
that the development of local food in tourism can
support the development of sustainable tourism in
Indonesia through two sides, reinforcing local
cultural identity and strengthening local economy.
This argument will be explained through the
literature review of previous studies, which both
reinforce the argument and the criticism of the
104
Purnomo, A.
Development of Local Food in Tourism for Supporting Sustainable Indonesia Tourism Development.
DOI: 10.5220/0010003300002917
In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Sciences, Laws, Arts and Humanities (BINUS-JIC 2018), pages 104-109
ISBN: 978-989-758-515-9
Copyright
c
2022 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
argument. A review of the literature was conducted
to answer the question of “How can local food
development in tourism development reinforce the
cultural identity of a tourism site and strengthen the
local economic?” This study was conducted to
develop a preliminary model of food development in
tourism to support sustainable tourism development
in Indonesia.
2 METHODOLOGY
This paper is prepared as a literature review.
Therefore, some previous studies have been selected
to provide an overview of how local food
development in tourism is done. The selection of
literature is based on the purpose of writing a paper.
Theoretically, referring to the definition of food
tourism, food tourism is defined as visiting primary
or secondary food producers, food festivals,
restaurants and specific locations with the primary
motivation to enjoy food as the main reason for
visiting (Cohen E and Avieli N, 2004), p 10]. This
means that food tourism is developed in places
where food or beverage has been known to visitors;
food or beverage has become the premier spot of
tourist sites and visitors come to the venue
specifically to enjoy food or beverage, visit food
festivals and find out everything related to the food
or beverage. They have mentioned food and
beverage as the scope of food tourism and can
simply cite as food tourism (Hall C M and Sharples
L, 2003), p 10]. Indonesia does not have a place
specifically designed as a food destination that meets
this definition and there has not been a food festival
specifically designed as a food tour (Tourism
Ministry Republic of Indonesia 2018). Based on
compatibility with the Indonesian context, the
literatures chosen were literature written, based on
research in places not categorized as food
destinations.
The limitations of this paper are on the
referenced literatures. Research on the development
of local food in Indonesia was limited. Most of the
literature used was based on research in places
outside Indonesia. This may lead to a bias of
different social and cultural contexts from which
research is conducted, which differs from the
Indonesian context. This paper can only present the
local food development model in tourism as a
preliminary study to be studied more deeply in
accordance with the Indonesian context.
3 LOCAL FOOD DEVELOPMENT
AND SUSTAINABILITY
3.1 Sustainable Tourism Development
through Reinforcing Local Culture
Identity
Long-term sustainability through image building of
a destination can be achieved if local food is
identified by visitors as a sign of the place they visit.
The competition between tourist destinations to
attract visitors requires something different from a
tourist destination. Local food is popular for visitors,
as it is considered 'iconic' to describe the “typical”
nature and certain cultures of a specific place [5, 24].
Tourists need tourism gaze, something unique and
specific to make them feel they are in a special place
when traveling (Stoffelen A and Vanneste D, 2016 ).
The research in Helsinki, Finland, has found that
visitors have interpreted locality values through
local food (Buckley R, 2012). Local food has
attracted the attention of visitors including those
who had no special attraction to the food while on a
visit. Visitors have felt the experience of local
culture through the consumption of local food. Local
food can serve as a marker of local culture, even
though the place is not a food tourism destination.
They have regarded the contribution of local food in
identifying local cultures as natural.
Tourism as an outside force, which was
encouraging the strengthening of Taiwan's local
identity through tourist demand for Taiwan's local
food (Chuang H T, 2009). Through the purchase of
food by visitors, local food was previously only a
home-based meal for Taiwanese residents which
could be served at a high end restaurant, a place
previously only accessible by Chinese and Japanese
food. The process of entering local food into the
tourist market has been marked by Chuang as a
process of reinforcing the cultural identity of
Taiwan.
The important position of local food as a cultural
identity of a tourism destination that can be an
attraction of a place compared to another places
(Chuang H T, 2009), (Björk P and Kauppinen-
Räisänen H, 2014). Local food has authenticity as an
element of tourism gaze and is sought by visitors
from their travels (Stoffelen A and Vanneste D,
2016 ). Taiwan's local food development for tourism
strengthens local food positions within the
community (Chuang H T, 2009) and meets the
feelings of local cultural experience for visitors
(Chuang H T, 2009), (Björk P and Kauppinen-
Development of Local Food in Tourism for Supporting Sustainable Indonesia Tourism Development
105
Räisänen H, 2014). Both of these studies suggest
that the introduction of local food in tourism has an
impact into the population as a reinforcing of local
identity for the host and impacts to the outside as
attracting visitors to come. The introduction of local
food in the long term supports the sustainability of
tourism because the reinforcing of cultural identity
through local food is the attraction of visitors to keep
coming.
3.2 Sustainable Tourism Development
through Strengthening Local
Economy
The increase in consumption in local food will have
a multiplier effect on the local economy (Scarpato R
and Daniele R, 2003 ). Local food can support long-
term sustainability through image building of a
destination. Developing an image of a destination
has built a market opportunity and it has driven
purchases to local producers. This has supported the
sustainable development of tourism in the form of
empowering local food producers as local
communities.
Local food can strengthen the local economy if
the visitor is a "good traveler", referring to visitors
who are concerned about the economic and
environmental sustainability of the place he or she is
visiting. Through both of these, visitor arrivals and
local food purchases by visitors can have an impact
on local food producers (Scarpato R and Daniele R,
2003 ). This proposal has been typical in the
development of local food-based tourism. "Good
traveler" proposed by (Scarpato R and Daniele R,
2003 ) was proposed by (Hall C M, 2006) as "slow
food" and "slow tourism". Both are food tourism
development strategies that have an impact on local
economic development. The opinion has been
strengthened by research in Seferihisar, Turkey
(Wijaya S, Morrison A, Nguyen T H, and King B,
2016) and in Mold, Wales (Jung T H, Ineson E M
and Miller A, 2014 ). The purchase of local food in
local producers gave more opportunity to local
producers to benefit from tourism development.
Sustainability occurs in the form of local economic
sustainability due to tourism development.
3.3 Proposed Conceptual Linkage
Approach
Based on a review of previous studies, proposed
conceptual linkage approach is in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Conseptual linkage approach of local food in
tourism development 1.
Source: Reprocessed from (Björk P and Kauppinen-Räisänen
H, 2016), (Chuang H T, 2009), (Scarpato R and Daniele R,
2003 ), (Hall C M, 2006)
4 THE RELATIVITY OF LOCAL
FOOD AND VISITOR ROLES IN
STRENGTHENING LOCAL
CULTURAL IDENTITIES AND
THE LOCAL ECONOMY
The definition of local food was not simple and
definite (Avieli N, 2013). Visitor influences on local
food provision as a long interaction between visitors
with food and food producers. Visitors have limited
knowledge about local foods. Visitors have been
searching for food that they consider locally based
on information presented by the media about food
tours. Visitors‟ requests have been granted by the
producer Visitors‟ request has responded by the
producer by adaptation, simplification and
vulgarization. Food producers were not passive
parties who always provide local food in accordance
with the standards of making and serving food that is
known traditionally and historically. Food producers
will reduce or substitute spices and groceries as long
as the visitor still considers them to be their local
food choice, in order to gain a greater profit. Food
producers have provided food from areas around Hoi
An as long as it was acceptable to visitors.
The important thing is that visitors cannot be
expected to distinguish local food by itself without
being influenced by other factors (Avieli N, 2013).
In relation to (Scarpato R and Daniele R, 2003 ) and
(Hall C M, 2006) research studies, Avieli has shown
that visitors cannot simply be a "good traveler" or
"slow tourist" and support local food development as
a boost to local cultural and local economic traits.
From the host side, food producers as a focus of the
impact of local economy development, which can
"weaken" the value of local food as the cultural
identity (Avieli N, 2013).
Strengthening
oflocal
identity
Purchase
LocalFood
Development
Strengtheningof
localfood
producer
Strengtheningthe
identityofthe
placeasatourist
destination
Strengtheningof
localeconomy
Sustainabilityon
tourism
development
BINUS-JIC 2018 - BINUS Joint International Conference
106
Avieli's research leads to the question, “What
role of can visitors contribute in conditions where
they are not in the category of "good traveler" or
"slow tourist"? How can visitors recognize the real
local foods? How can local food play a role in
reinforcing the identity of a destination and further
strengthen the local economy?
4.1 The Linkage between Local Food
and Visitors
International visitors were identifying Indonesian
local foods from general characteristics of foods
(Hendijani R B, 2016), (Von Holzen H and Arsana
L). In tourist destinations not specifically developed
as „food tourism‟ areas such as in Indonesia, visitors
will not only encounter food, defined local food as
traditional food (Cohen E and Avieli N, 2004),
(Scarpato R and Daniele R, 2003 ), but rather a wide
selection of foods and food producers.
The media plays a role in conveying information
about local food to visitors. Visitors could not easily
identify local food (Lin Y C, Pearson T E and Cai L
A, 2011 ), they were seeking information via media
(Avieli N, 2013), (Scarpato R and Daniele R, 2003 ).
Food introduced as a tourist attraction through the
media will raise awareness on local food, as well as
the impact on other foods (Ranteallo I C and
Andilolo I R, 2017). The characteristics of local
Indonesian food that visitors perceive (Hendijani R
B, 2016); 26] make up a core identity that requires
information to clarify the type of food and place to
puchase food (Lin Y C, Pearson T E and Cai L A,
2011 ), to be able to deliver visitors to local food
producers. The process of making local food a food
tourist identity requires a clear and solid strategy to
outline the kinds of local food and where they can be
purchased(Berg P O and Sevón G, 2014 ) In
conclusion, local food can be selected by visitors
when they get adequate information about local
foods, local food producers and the exact location to
purchase local food.
Although local food has been recognized by
visitors, local food to have an impediment factor for
visitors (Cohen E and Avieli N, 2004). There was an
influence of the hygiene, safety and cultural barriers
of visitors to try new foods (how to eat, how to
serve). Visitors can get to the right local food and
food producers, but cannot eat it because of the
impediment factors that exist in local food and food
vendors or producers.
The deciding factor whether visitors will buy
local food or not was the characteristics of visitors
(Cohen E and Avieli N, 2004), (Björk P and
Kauppinen-Räisänen H, 2016). They have proposed
that experimental category visitors will be more
interested in local food. They will specifically look
for unfamiliar food and enjoy local food in an
environment as close as possible to the local food.
This indicates, the characteristic of visitors has
determined the purchase of local food by visitors.
Visitors with certain characteristics can tolerate
impediment factors and seek information about local
food and local food producers of a destination to
find and puchase local food during the visit period.
4.2 Unconnected Linkage between
Local Food Development and
Strengthening Local Economic:
Who is "local"?
Visitors may be distracted from small producers who
produce whiskey in the village of Speyside,
Scotland's best-known whiskey producer, and buy
factory-made whiskey (Sims R, 2009 ). Even though
it is at a food tourism location, competition occurs
among beverage producers with different business
scales. Visitors have come and enjoyed whiskey, but
do not always purchase whiskey at small-scale
producers in Speyside Village.
Well-known local beverage did not directly
result in visitors coming exclusively to enjoy it
(Scarpato R and Daniele R, 2003 ). Competition has
occurred at the local level and the impact of local
food development in tourism on the local economy
can be a larger business capital producer bias. A
more assertive local producer definition is local
producers in the development of food in tourism
should be the small capital food producers (Hall C
M and Sharples L, 2003), (Mitchell R and Hall C M,
2003 ), (national Journal of Contemporary
Research). Through a focus on small capital food or
beverage producers, the efforts to optimize the
benefits of tourism development to local people can
be realized. This is more relevant to the purpose of
strengthening the local economy in the Indonesian
context.
4.3 Linking Local Food Development
with Sustainability
The linkage between local food development in
tourism with sustainability through the reinforcing
of local cultural identity and local economic
strengthening cannot be directly occurring as shown
in Figure 1. Proposed conceptual linkage approach is
in Figure 2.
Development of Local Food in Tourism for Supporting Sustainable Indonesia Tourism Development
107
Figure 2: Conceptual linkage approach of local food in
tourism development 2.
5 CONCLUSION
The conceptual linkage approach of local food in
tourism development proposed in this paper
describes the development of local food in tourism,
which can encourage sustainability on tourism
development by strengthening local cultural identity
and local economy. Both of these can be built
through efforts to reduce impediment factors from
local food and solid information presentation in
order to reinforce the image of local food as a main
cultural marker of a tourist destination.
The sustainability on tourism development
through strengthening of the local economy can be
achieved if food development in tourism focuses on
the development of small capital food producers.
Indonesia sets the scale of business enterprises in
Law No. 28 Year 2008, which distinguishes business
scale based on asset and income ownership. The
scale of business enterprises are divided into the
scale of micro, small and medium enterprises. These
three business groups are the focus of government
support and protection in national economic
development. Micro-scale local food producers are
still far behind compared to small-scale producers
(Purnomo A M, 2016). In suggestion, a it relates to
Indonesia, the focus can be more directed to micro
scale food producers.
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