Food Tourism Concept

THE CONDITION OF TOURISM AND THE FOOD CHAIN IN BATAM

Tourism

Fishery • Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic. • The pandemic is changing people’s lifestyles and preferences for tourism. People prefer nature, outdoor, and open-air destinations. • In Batam City tourism, there is no synergy between tourism and other sectors, especially culinary even though there is a lot of potential in the culinary sector.

• The facilities for aquaculture and fisheries are still minimal. • The marketing of marine and fishery products is still individualistic. • The utilization of technology and transfer of knowledge by fishers is still minimal. • Diversification of fish processing products is not optimal yet.

Agriculture

Traditional Market • There is a shift in the trend of vegetable buyers in Batam City.

In recent years, hydroponic and organic vegetable demand has been increasing. • The amount of agricultural produce is not proportional to the population of Batam City. • In Batam, only a small amount of land is programmed for agriculture. • The utilization of technology and knowledge transfer in agricultural cultivation is still minimal.

• The distance between farmers and fishermen to merchants and the primary distributor market that accommodates the harvest is quite far. • There is only one main fresh food distributor and the hub is located northwest of Batam City. There is no official food distributor in the southeast of Batam City. • Traders are generally located in the mainland of Batam City, while farmers and fishermen live in the hinterland of Batam (southeast area), so the food distribution is considered not efficient.

PROPOSED IDEA: FOOD TOURISM

The Relationship of the Food System and City Life

Source: Blue-Green Systems (2020) “Place-making Through Food”

Open space is needed to connect the physical spaces of the basic components of a food hub in an intangible way. This place-making foundation is expected to create a good transition between buildings with various functions. With place-making as well, the local community will be more involved and feel a sense of belonging to the food hub.

“Human-Centered Tourism”

To help resolve economic issues due to the weakened post-pandemic tourism, UNWTO (2020) states that there are 5 priority areas that must be addressed:

1. Mitigating socio-economic impacts on livelihoods 2. Improving competitiveness and resilience through economic diversification, promoting domestic and regional tourism, and facilitating a conducive business environment for MSMEs 3. Advancing tourism innovation and digital transformation 4. Encourage the concept of sustainability and green growth to shift to a tourism sector that is resilient, competitive, resource efficient and carbon neutral. 5. Transform the sector towards achieving the SDGs and ensuring tourism recovery puts people at the center of attention. Post-Pandemic Human Centered Tourism Pillar

Source: Maria Della Lucia, et al. (2021)