LOCAL CULINARY DEVELOPMENT: DOES GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTION HELP?

Abstract

As community interest in local cuisine grows, it is necessary for the government to exercise its purpose through a variety of policies and programs, primarily to help culinary micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) develop amidst intense market competition. This research responds to the academic need to study the development of MSMEs in the culinary sector—not only to escalate the scale of their businesses but also to create tourist destinations—by using a case study from the Ogan Ilir Regency in Indonesia. The authors interviewed government representatives and 10 owners of MSMEs in the culinary sector to draw up a list of the difficulties faced by MSMEs and the government interventions that help them to develop as business entities and tourist attractions. The results of this study showed that the government tended to emphasize developing MSMEs through interventions in finance, marketing, and human resources, although the scale of these interventions is not yet adequate. Meanwhile, the development of UMKM as a tourist destination remains half-hearted. The practical implication of this study is that the government, at a more strategic level, needs to create a new strategic plan that integrates the development of MSMEs in the culinary sector in order to achieve both objectives.