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recent Global Travel Intention Survey conducted by Visa showed that culinary experiences were among the reasons why foreign tourists visited Indonesia this year.

Ellyana Fuad, the president director of PT Visa Worldwide Indonesia said in Jakarta on Wednesday that 52 percent out of 11,620 respondents from 23 countries such as Malaysia, Australia, China, Germany, the US, Russia and Brazil, loved to taste local cuisine during their stay in Indonesia.

“Indonesia is rich in culture and this richness is represented by the country’s various traditional dishes,” Ellyana said.

The survey also showed that 64 percent of tourists were willing to spend more money on food.

The figure showed that culinary delights had become a central attraction for people visiting Indonesia, she said.

“Indonesia is not only famous for its natural scenery and exotic places, but also for its culinary experiences,” she added.

She said that Indonesian traditional dishes had been recognized around the world, with some being ranked in the “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods and Drinks” list by CNN Go, a travel guide to Asia.

This year, CNN Go named rendang, a traditional dish from Padang, West Sumatra, at number 11 on the list, beating French croissants and American donuts.

CNN Go described the dish as beef that had been “slowly simmered with coconut milk and a mixture of lemongrass, galangal, garlic, turmeric, ginger and chilies” and then stewed for a few hours to create a dish of “tender, flavorful bovine goodness”.

In addition, es kelapa muda (coconut ice) and es cendol (a drink made from rice flour served with coconut milk, palm sugar and ice cubes) were placed 19th and 45th respectively, in the World’s 50 Most Delicious Drinks list.

Based on the Indonesia Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) observation, there were 10 favorite dishes that foreign visitors always looked for during their visits, executive director Cyprianus Aoer said.

Cyprianus said that among the dishes were sate ayam (chicken skewer), ketoprak (rice noodles, tofu and bean sprouts in peanut sauce), nasi goreng (fried rice), soto betawi (meat soup with coconut milk), bakso (Indonesian meatballs), gudeg (jackfruit stewed in coconut milk and served with savory side dishes), and pecel lele (fried catfish with chili sauce).

He also said that Indonesia had to promote more Indonesian dishes to the world because food could persuade people to travel to Indonesia.

“A tasty sate ayam sold in Europe or America will persuade the Europeans and Americans to visit Indonesia. This will improve the Indonesian economy,” he told The Jakarta Post.

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry recently included “culinary” as one of the creative industry’s sub-sectors, together with the 14 already established sub-sectors such as performing arts, handicrafts, music, advertising, and films.

“Culinary has become the 15th sub-sector in the creative industry because it is strongly related to tourism,” Mari said. (nfo)