Aceh Culinary Stories Could Boost Gastronomy Tourism

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Vice Tourism Minister, Ni Luh Puspa, has called for stronger storytelling around Aceh’s traditional cuisine to highlight the rich flavors, history, and culture behind its dishes and further enhance Indonesia’s appeal as a gastronomy tourism destination. Closing the 2026 Aceh Culinary Festival (ACF) at Taman Sulthanah Safiatuddin in Banda Aceh on Sunday (13/9/2026), Ni Luh Puspa said the festival demonstrated the significant potential of Aceh’s culinary heritage to be developed as part of high-quality and sustainable tourism.

She expressed hope that the Aceh Culinary Festival would contribute to strengthening Wonderful Indonesia Gourmet (WIG), an initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism to promote Indonesia’s diverse gastronomic heritage as a tourism attraction. According to him , gastronomy is not only about the taste of food, but also the culture, traditions, history, ingredients, and way of life that shape a dish. Strengthening storytelling is therefore important to give tourists a more complete experience when enjoying Aceh’s cuisine.

“We need to strengthen the storytelling behind Aceh’s culinary traditions so that we not only enjoy the taste, but also understand the stories behind them,” Ni Luh Puspa said.

The Aceh Culinary Festival is one of Aceh’s tourism events that showcases the region’s culinary and gastronomic heritage as part of its cultural identity and tourism appeal.

This year marked the fourth time the Aceh Culinary Festival has been included among the top 10 events under the Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) program. Ni Luh Puspa praised the collaboration among local governments, industry players, MSME entrepreneurs, communities, and the public in supporting the festival’s continuity.

The Vice Tourism Minister stressed that tourism events should not stop at entertainment or cultural celebrations. They should also generate economic impact by increasing transactions for MSME businesses, creating employment opportunities, and stimulating economic activity among communities around the event venues.

Ministry of Tourism data showed that the 110 events included in the 2025 Karisma Event Nusantara generated more than Rp17 trillion in economic activity, a 25.4 percent increase from the previous year.The KEN 2025 series also attracted 10.8 million visitors and involved around 108,500 workers, 105,700 artists, 15,400 MSME entrepreneurs, and 4,900 communities.

The figures demonstrate that tourism events are not only platforms for preserving and celebrating culture but also generate a multiplier effect for the economy through MSME participation, job creation, and stronger local economic activity. Ni Luh Puspa expressed hope that the Aceh Culinary Festival would also contribute to achieving the tourism sector’s 2026 targets of 16 million to 17 million international tourist arrivals and 1.18 billion domestic tourist trips.