The research team of Sahid University (Usahid) together with the Central Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Sub-department (Sudin Parekraf) collaborated to formulate the concept of historical (heritage) gastronomy tourism focused on nutritional value and sustainability. This concrete step was realized through a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) entitled "Model of Developing Nutrition-Based Regenerative Heritage Gastronomy Tourism" held at Kedai Tjikini, Central Jakarta.
This synergistic program is spearheaded by a cross-disciplinary team of Usahid researchers, consisting of Khoirul Anwar, Ismayanti Istanto, and Dewi Gita Kartika. The collaboration brings together expertise from the Bachelor of Tourism and Bachelor of Nutrition study programs to create an integrated tourism approach that not only pleases tourists' palates but also supports food security and public health.
The discussion forum was attended by various stakeholders, ranging from local government bureaucracy, traditional culinary business owners, gastronomy communities, to tourist destination managers. They gathered to map out the potential of historical culinary in the Central Jakarta area while designing preservation strategies for local culinary heritage to remain relevant in the modern era.
Sahid University researcher representative, Khoirul Anwar, explained that current gastronomy tourism trends have shifted. Beyond merely seeking delicious flavors, tourists are now increasingly concerned about cultural aspects, the nutritional value of dishes, and food ecosystem sustainability. According to him, heritage culinary has high historical value that has the potential to become a new tourist magnet if packaged with clear nutritional standards.
As a concrete manifestation of this research, the research team is preparing several strategic outputs, including a digital map of Central Jakarta's historical gastronomy tourism, documentation of the nutritional profiles of legendary menus, and mapping of sustainable local food supply chains. This data is expected to serve as an important reference for the government in drafting local tourism regulations.
Through this close partnership, Central Jakarta is aimed to become a pioneer in health- and sustainability-based gastronomy tourism destinations. This step is also believed to be able to boost the competitiveness of local culinary MSMEs and strengthen Sahid University's position as a higher education institution focused on the development of national entrepreneurship and tourism.
