Abstract

The stable growth of Indonesian economy along with the increasing development of infrastructure results in lifestyle changes. The need for leisure in the form of tourism is supported by the ease of land, sea and air facilities. The increasing number of tourists impacts on the increasing number of supporting facilities for the comfort of tourist to stay in a tourism attraction. Some cities in Indonesia are well-known for their culinary tour. Therefore every weekend, it can be predicted that tourists come to taste the culinary. However, the role of culinary industry in general and local food/beverage in particular towards the development of tourism has not been a major concern. Therefore, this study will explore the relationship between the advantages owned by leading culinary products of a city in Indonesia towards the growth of tourism. Initiative of local culinary products can provide many benefits because these products offer a unique tourism experience between customers and producers directly. Pestek and Cinjarevic (2014) also stated that culinary industry is a major component in tourism industry, and culinary experience provides an important experience for tourists. This is a qualitative research using approaches of 1) quality specification analysis, 2.) Determining spider chart to determine the potential map of culinary tourism, 3.) Focus Group Discussion (FGD) using Strength Weakness Opportunities Threats (SWOT) in determining competitive advantage towards the improvement of tourism in some cities in Indonesia. The results of observation and interviews shows that local culinary of Bandung City still survives up till now because they keep maintaining a distinctive taste quality so as to stimulate customer experience when consuming these culinary products. Key Words: Culinary experience, Tourism, Competitive advantage

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