Even though consumption is abundant, travelers' desire for snacks is relatively large

Apart from having deeper pockets, travelers' enthusiasm for culinary tourism is driven by cheap food in their hometown.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Bandeng presto is one of the legendary foods and souvenirs sold on Pandanaran Street, Semarang City, Central Java, on Saturday (13/4/2024). Travelers bring typical souvenirs from Semarang City, such as bandeng presto, wingko babat, lumpia, and moci cake.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Even though food is always available during Eid at relatives' homes, even in abundance, travelers' desire for snacks is apparently quite large. They consider culinary tourism to be a reward (reward)after working for a year.

KedaiKOPI Research Manager Ashma Nur Afifah in Jakarta, Tuesday (7/5/2024), said that his party had conducted Survey of Eid Homecoming Behavior Patterns 2024< /a> last April 13-18. Expenditures on culinary tourism while respondents were homecoming averaged IDR 752,800.

"This year's Eid holiday travel period will last for about a week if we follow the official holiday schedule. However, if travelers leave since Friday, the duration can be up to 10 days," he said. If calculated, travelers will spend around IDR 75,000 to IDR 100,000 per day, which is considered consumptive.

"The amount is quite large, even though at the homes of parents, uncles or grandfathers, travelers don't spend money on food," said Ashma. The respondents involved were 1,226 people aged 17-55 years using the computerized assisted self-interview method.

The majority of homecoming travelers are domiciled in Java, accounting for 79 percent followed by Sumatra at 12 percent. Other respondents are spread across Sulawesi, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Maluku, and Papua, although their range is only between 3 percent and less than 1 percent.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Tourists buy food for lunch at Beringharjo Market, Yogyakarta, on Friday (12/4/2024). Some of the travelers take the opportunity to explore Malioboro street before returning to their hometowns after celebrating Eid in their hometown village.

In the survey, migrant workers were also asked about their needs. It turns out that 54.1 percent of respondents expressed their expenditure on culinary delights at their destination for the annual exodus. "The respondents' desire for snacking is indeed great, especially since the price of food at some of the destination areas for the annual exodus is also cheap," said Ashma.

The proportion of culinary tourism accounts for 7.4 percent of the total expenditure for homecoming needs. Based on respondents who were willing to answer, 47.7 percent of homecomers also stated an increase in spending on culinary tourism compared to the 2023 Eid al-Fitr period.

Ashma added that the mudik travelers also express their routine complaints every year. Toilet cleanliness, for example, got the lowest score among all the answers or only 5.9. "The toilets are still quite dirty, especially in the economy bus terminals and tourist destinations with minimal management," he said.

Also read: Travelers are asked to be aware of traffic-prone routes on West Java arterial roads

Respondents also raised concerns about the compliance of other drivers when driving, scoring 6.1, and the comfort of bus terminals, which was rated 6.4. The availability of train tickets was another issue with a score of 6.5, while a score of 6.6 was given for the availability of street lighting.

Not much difference in value, respondents still have concerns about the condition of the roads or 6.7. These problems are considered very cliche. "It happens every year. For example, roads become a question between not being repaired or quickly deteriorating," he said.

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Unavoidable traffic congestion occurred on Kalimalang Road, Bekasi City, West Java on Saturday (4/6/2024). The increase in vehicle volume began to be felt on Kalimalang Road four days before Eid al-Fitr 2024.

Communication Specialist KedaiKOPI Bintang Sangaji said that his party also conducted a survey to assess the government's performance. ”How social issues are handled. "Policies require good data to be right on target," he said.

The survey results are expected to serve as a correction for policymakers by pointing out what needs to be improved. He also plans to raise other topics. "Every month, week, and even day, there is something that captures public attention. Some have not been addressed through actual data," he said.

Also read: Inviting Tourists with Typical Ramadhan Culinary

According to Co-Director Data & Democracy Research Hub Ika Idris, they have analyzed observations of conversations among holiday travelers. More than 50,000 tweets on platform X during 1-6 April 2024 show netizens' concerns about the potential for floods and landslides.

They posted words related to the announcement of 115 flood-prone areas and weather predictions. "Unfortunately, posts regarding disaster mitigation are still rarely found. The same goes for information about actions to reduce the impact of recent hot weather," he said.