BRIN Calls for More Meaningful, Innovative Tourism Souvenirs
- 16 Sep 2026 13:33 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
- BRIN is encouraging souvenir makers to replace generic mass-produced items with products reflecting local culture and destination identity.
- Researchers say folklore, architecture and traditional crafts can inspire more meaningful and educational souvenir designs.
RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Tourism souvenirs are taking center stage in a new national effort to replace low-value, mass-produced trinkets with rich, story-driven cultural keepsakes.
During the 104th Cultural Discussion Forum on Monday, September 14, 2026, researchers emphasized that the modern souvenir industry suffers from severe visual monotony. Instead of offering authentic representations of regional heritage, travel markets are flooded with generic items, such as factory-made keychains, fridge magnets, and uniform printed apparel, that reduce complex traditions into repetitive commodities.
To revitalize souvenir offerings, BRIN advocated for a new visual vocabulary in product manufacturing. By converting local folklore into custom illustrations, regional architecture into product silhouettes, and traditional craft techniques into tactile textures, craft producers can deliver high-value, made-to-order souvenirs.
Drawing inspiration from international models, such as Austria’s destination-specific mountain-shaped chocolates and handcrafted resin items, the initiative aims to ensure every physical souvenir serves as a lasting educational tool and memory anchor.
BRIN Center for Research on Society and Culture Head Aulia Hadi detailed the necessity of visual innovation in physical souvenirs during the forum in Jakarta. The challenge in souvenir development lies in the ability to create products that possess uniqueness and added value, beyond serving as a simple keepsake
"A souvenir demonstrates the value of various cultural heritages, which can then be visualized into diverse physical products so that souvenirs serve as a medium for education and cultural introduction," Aulia Hadi said in Jakarta on Monday, September 14, 2026, as quoted on BRIN's official website.
Bali Tourism Polytechnic Lecturer Putu Diah Sasri Pitanatri stressed that souvenirs must move away from uniform mass-market trends to remain meaningful. Souvenirs should represent the value or culture of the destination.
"Tourists do not merely buy a souvenir; when they purchase a souvenir, they learn about the culture, remember the destination, and carry those stories and values back to their place of origin. The future of tourism souvenirs lies not in producing more items, but in creating more meaningful ways for tourists to carry away a piece of local culture," Pitanatri noted during her presentation. ***
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