Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #42

ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS
GASTRONOMY
MACAO,
“CREATIVE
CITY OF
GASTRONOMY”
Clear Café Ubud, Indonesia
In 2019, the Macao Government Tourism Office
(MGTO) is working on the development of the local
catering industry through “inheritance, innovation
and exchange”, strengthening inheritance and
innovation of local Macanese Cuisine.
DELICIOUS
INDONESIA
Working very closely with the UNWTO, Indonesia
is strongly placing the spotlight on Gastronomy
Tourism. Vita Datau, head of the Culinary
and Shopping Tourism Acceleration Team for
Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry, says five destinations
have been selected for special attention: Ubud
(Bali), Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang and Bandung.
A year after beginning a
programme with UNWTO
in Ubud, results are already
forthcoming. “We just did
our preliminary report, and
it will be used by UNWTO
as baseline report to
assess Ubud soon on May
2019,” explains Datau.
“The programme will take
more than a year before
UNWTO can make a final
announcement that Ubud
is fulfilling the requirement
as Gastronomy Destination
Prototype. The process is
excellent, as it encourages
the stakeholders to
contribute actively in
finishing up the report, and
also motivates the industry
to enhance the service
quality and promoting
Ubud in the same time.”
Spices, vegetables, fruits,
wine and coffee all form
part of Bali’s cuisine, with
some Ubud restaurants
regularly making it into lists
of top restaurants in Asia.
The region is of course also
renowned for its “Babi
Guling” – roasted suckling
pig, a speciality in Bali.
Indonesia’s Ministry of
Health and Ministry of
Tourism are also working
to create food hygiene and
safety standards across the
nation, working together
to develop standards to be
implemented along with
a massive training and
certification programme
Macao will be hosting and
supporting international
gastronomic events, organising
different types of activities
in major source markets,
launching gourmet food tour
products, and making greater
efforts in promoting the
Creative City of Gastronomy.
With a culinary legacy that
dates back over 400 years,
Macao is generally regarded
as being home to the world’s
first “fusion” cuisine. As a city
which for 400 years was under
Portuguese administration,
it was in Macao, well before
Hong Kong or Singapore, that
East met West in the kitchen.
And since Macao returned to
Executive chef of Michelin
Three Star Restaurant – The 8
– Joseph Tse – staging special
performances in Macao
Chinese sovereignty in 1999,
this kind of cuisine has been
a cornerstone of local culture.
It all testifies to the value of
the UNESCO International
Creative Cities Network and,
at the same time, highlights
the growing importance of
cities as drivers of creativity
and innovation. A recent
gastronomy cooking show
launched in Macao has not
only stimulated the taste buds
but also inspired imagination
and creativity. Gastronomy
is indeed deeply rooted in
cultural heritage and cultural
identity of peoples and
communities