Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Tourism emphasized that gastronomy is a strategic sector in building Indonesia's tourism identity that is distinctive, competitive, and sustainable.”Gastronomic development cannot be done partially, it must be seen as an integrated system,” said Deputy for Resources and Institutions at the ministry, Martini M. Paham, in a press statement here on Tuesday.She emphasized that gastronomy is not only about food, but also reflects experience, identity, and how a destination is recognized through its taste and stories.The tourist experience, she said, is often shaped not only by what is seen, but also by what is felt through the food and cultural interactions.Therefore, culinary experiences have a significant influence on the level of tourist satisfaction and loyalty, which ultimately contributes to the sustainability of tourist destinations.”This includes human resource quality, hygiene and sanitation standards, cultural understanding, value creation, collaboration strategies, and marketing strengthening,” said Martini M. Paham, who is familiarly known as Diah.In this regard, the ministry continues to encourage improvements in the quality of the gastronomy sector as one of the main identities of tourism, which is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian tourism destinations at the global level.To strengthen these efforts, the ministry held a “Strategic Discussion Room” talk show on April 7, 2026, themed “The Role of Women in the Strategy for Developing Indonesian Gastronomic Tourism.”This forum aims to deepen understanding and encourage cross-stakeholder collaboration.Women are considered to have a central role in the development of gastronomic tourism, both in maintaining traditional culinary knowledge, as entrepreneurs, and as creators of authentic and culturally valuable tourism experiences.This role is an important foundation in generating innovation and strengthening the quality of Indonesian gastronomy.”We hope that the ideas generated from this forum will not stop at the discussion level, but will be translated into concrete steps in developing national gastronomic tourism,” she said.”Gastronomic quality is largely determined by the quality of human resources and management systems,” she added.