Greetings from the Chairman of Organizing Committee for the 16th ASEAN Food Conferences

Bali has been known to be one of the most visited tourist destinations in Indonesia. In 2017, Bali contributed to five out of the total 14 million tourists recorded. From the varied tourist activites, eating has been a popular one. In addition, the government also intends to increase attractiveness of Bali by promoting it for the gastronomy its offers. Bali local cuisine along with foods influenced by other ethnic groups in Indonesia and also fusion of Indonesian and foreign cultures presents a clever combination of many fresh produces and spices, denoting the abundant biodiversity of Indonesia. In 2012, Bali was reported as a province with the fifth largest number of restaurants at moderate and large size. We expect to see rise in the number when the gastronomy promotion strategy has been implemented. In order to help the government, we intend to adopt the topic as AFC 2019 theme.

AFC 2019 should act as a platform for idea and experience exchange in the field of food tourism industry. Many countries in Southeast Asia have been known for its distinct and appealing culinary experience. Many Southeast Asian foods have been popular woldwide, for instance pho from Vietnam, chicken adobo from Philippines, and papaya salad from Thailand. The foods mentioned are only a few from the many that have attracted visitors. Emunerating them shoud require maximum effort. By proposing the theme of food tourism in AFC, we expect to learn a lot from other countries or areas in Indonesia on how to boost our food tourism sector. It should benefit other provinces and countries as well.

The responsibility as Organizing Committee for AFC 2019 is given to University of Udayana. This university is among the top universities in Eastern Indonesian Territory. Previously, this university has organized many international or national events, namely United Nations Model, Management Workshop on the SMART CITY 2018 Partnership and Monev, and et cetera. We believe given the necessary supports are available, we will be able to hold AFC 2019 to achieve its intended targets.

We hope that you or your institution will kindly contribute to the success of the event. Any forms of assistance will be highly appreciated.

-Prof. Dr. Nyoman Semadi Antara-
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