Indonesia received the 2026 New Destination Champion Award from La Liste in Paris, and two Indonesian restaurants, August in Jakarta and Locavore NXT in Bali, were included in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, providing the policy backdrop for this story.
Key Facts At A Glance
- BBTF 2026 Travex opened May 29, 2026 at the Bali International Convention Centre, The Westin Resort Nusa Dua
- 407 buyers from 44 countries and 286 sellers from four countries and 13 Indonesian provinces participated
- Approximately 1,300 scheduled business appointments were conducted during the Travex sessions
- Indonesia recorded 15.39 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, generating USD18.27 billion in tourism foreign exchange earnings
- Bali accounted for 6.95 million of those arrivals, or nearly 45 per cent of the national total, representing 9.7 per cent year-on-year growth
- Indonesia received the 2026 New Destination Champion Award from La Liste, Paris
- Restaurants August, Jakarta, and Locavore NXT, Bali, were named to Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026
- Ministry of Tourism facilitated familiarisation trips to North Sumatra, Yogyakarta, Tanjung Puting, Lombok, and Jakarta for 22 international buyers across four travel groups
Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism has formally positioned culinary heritage as the centrepiece of the country’s international tourism competitiveness strategy, using the 12th edition of the Bali and Beyond Travel Fair as its most visible deployment platform to date.
From Showcase To Strategy
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana opened the BBTF 2026 gala dinner on May 28 at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua and returned the following day to formally open the Travex B2B sessions. Her address on May 29 went beyond convention remarks, setting out a revised framework for how Indonesia expects its tourism industry to compete globally. Rather than leading with scenery or culture in general terms, she called for tourism products that are “clear, trusted, well-packaged, and ready to deliver the promised experience,” signalling a move toward structured, bookable, export-ready tourism products rather than destination marketing alone.
The minister was explicit that Bali’s gravitational pull within the Indonesian tourism system, nearly 45 per cent of all international arrivals in 2025, should serve as a gateway rather than a ceiling. Under the “Bali and Beyond” framework, international buyers at BBTF 2026 were actively encouraged to develop itineraries and packages that extend into Lombok, Labuan Bajo, and other provinces. The Ministry of Tourism supported this with four post-fair familiarisation trips to North Sumatra, Yogyakarta, Tanjung Puting, Lombok, and Jakarta, attended by 22 international buyers.
Gastronomy As A Policy Instrument
The 2026 fair theme, “Redefining Indonesia’s Gastronomy Journey: A Celebration of Taste, Cultures, and Sustainable Heritage,” was selected in direct response to Indonesia’s growing international culinary recognition. Minister Wardhana cited two anchoring developments: Indonesia’s receipt of the 2026 New Destination Champion Award from La Liste in Paris, and the inclusion of two Indonesian restaurants in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, August in Jakarta and Locavore NXT in Bali.
The ministry is formalising Wonderful Indonesia Gastronomy as a tourism product line, developed in collaboration with Bank Indonesia, to give culinary tourism a structured, commercial framework. BBTF 2026 committee chairman I Putu Winastra described gastronomy as part of a deliberate differentiation strategy. He noted that quality tourism does not mean exclusive tourism, but rather tourism that creates higher value, better experiences, and stronger benefits for local communities.
Market Scale And Commercial Context
Indonesia’s tourism sector generated USD18.27 billion in foreign exchange earnings in 2025 across 15.39 million international arrivals. Bali alone received 6.95 million of those visitors, recording 9.7 per cent year-on-year growth. The BBTF Travex sessions generated approximately 1,300 scheduled business appointments between 286 sellers from four countries and 13 Indonesian provinces, and 407 buyers from 44 countries. Sellers represented sectors including MICE, wellness, culture, ecotourism, and gastronomy.
New aviation connectivity announced at the fair reinforced the commercial case for Bali-adjacent distribution. These included Jetstar’s direct Sunshine Coast-Bali and Melbourne Avalon-Bali routes, Virgin Australia’s upcoming Canberra-Bali service on June 22, Indonesia AirAsia’s new Bali-Danang corridor, and IndiGo’s Mumbai-Denpasar service.