Culinary tourism is recognized as one of the key sectors within the tourism industry, with a significant contribution to increasing tourist arrivals, generating employment, and fostering local business development (Safian et al., 2021). It also has a multiplier effect that strengthens regional economies through its linkages with agriculture, trade, transportation, accommodation, and tourism-supporting services ((Ndlovu, 2023); (Di-Clemente et al., 2020)). It also has a multiplier effect that strengthens regional economies through its linkages with agriculture, trade, transportation, accommodation, and tourism-supporting services, particularly in urban areas ((Wondirad & Verheye, 2023)).

Culinary tourism is a form of experience-based travel that focuses on the exploration of local cuisine and food-related activities, with local food and beverages serving as the main pull factors (Zhang et al., 2019). These activities include visits to food producers, culinary festivals, market exploration, participation in culinary programs, and tasting of a variety of food products (Vuksanović et al., 2024). From a destination development perspective, culinary tourism strengthens destination image, increases competitiveness, enriches tourist experiences, and has the potential to extend length of stay ((Kovalenko et al., 2023); (Levyda et al., 2024)).

Indonesia holds a highly promising position in culinary tourism due to its rich culinary traditions rooted in cultural, ethnic, and local resource diversity (Untari & Satria, 2025). The abundance of natural and cultural resources across regions encourages the emergence of distinctive culinary products, positioning cuisine as a strategic asset for destination differentiation ((Kristanti et al., 2019); (Hajarrahmah & Daniels-Llanos, 2017)). Within a sustainable tourism framework, this potential is ideally directed not only toward short-term growth in arrivals, but also toward long-term orientations that secure local economic sustainability, preserve culinary heritage, and maintain destination carrying capacity.

At the national level, culinary tourism is regarded as one of the pillars for strengthening tourism and creative economy competitiveness through its contribution to local economic activity and employment ((Wulan, 2025-08-05); (Thio et al., 2024)). In Indonesia, culinary tourism is not limited to food consumption, but also functions as a medium to promote cultural diversity and local identity (Wijaya, 2019). The wide variety of culinary offerings across regions, with distinct flavors and preparation techniques, supports the formation of destination image and differentiation in an increasingly competitive tourism market (Sukenti, 2014).

Bogor City is one of Indonesia’s tourist destinations with a strong culinary appeal, representing a blend of traditional Sundanese culture, colonial heritage, and modern urban dynamics (Bonanza et al., 2023). A range of traditional foods, the presence of contemporary culinary venues, and geographical proximity to Jakarta as the national activity hub and gateway for domestic and international tourists position Bogor as a highly promising candidate for a nationally prominent culinary destination. Previous studies indicate that culinary experiences are among the main motivations for visiting Bogor (Kristyadi & Facrureza, 2024), while the culinary sector is identified as a leading subsector of the creative economy and receives policy support through local development plans that designate culinary tourism as a key focus of tourism development in the city (Bogor City Regional Development, 2024).

Recent data show that the number of restaurants in Bogor City increased from 616 units in 2021 to 918 units in 2024, although a slight decrease of 0.54% occurred in 2024 compared with the previous year (Indonesia, 2025). This trend indicates a dynamic culinary sector that is not yet proportionally reflected in the strengthening of Bogor’s position as a leading culinary destination or in the optimal performance of tourism and business welfare. Constraints related to infrastructure, human resource capacity, and the effectiveness of promotion can hinder the full utilization of a destination’s culinary tourism potential. In Bogor City, this situation reveals a gap between its potential as a culinary hub, supported by a mix of traditional and modern cuisines and proximity to Jakarta, and its actual realization as a truly competitive and prominent culinary destination. These conditions indicate that the development of culinary tourism in Bogor City is constrained by weak policy synergy, inadequate supporting infrastructure and promotion, the erosion of traditional culinary practices, and the absence of systematic structural mapping of key variables. As a result, Bogor City’s substantial culinary potential has not yet translated into a competitive and sustainable culinary destination. This gap between potential and actual performance constitutes the main research problem that this study seeks to address.

In this context, local economic sustainability becomes a critical issue because most culinary businesses in Bogor consist of micro, small, and medium enterprises that are vulnerable to demand fluctuations, changing culinary trends, and competitive pressure from larger business networks (Indonesia, 2025). At the same time, the preservation of culinary culture faces challenges such as declining use of traditional recipes, shifting preferences among younger generations, and commercialization that may erode the authenticity of local cuisine (Mau et al., 2024). Without appropriate governance, the development of Bogor as a flagship culinary destination risks generating trade-offs between economic growth, cultural preservation, and the sustainability of destination carrying capacity.

As part of a complex tourism system, the development of culinary tourism involves multiple interacting factors, ranging from cultural, economic, and institutional aspects to environmental dimensions, operating through both direct and indirect relationships ((Long et al., 2024); (Long, 2012); (Abriani, 2022); (Fistola & Rocca, 2017)). In China, for instance, the culinary tourism system is analyzed through six main dimensions—government support, stakeholder involvement, destination image, visitor experience, destination marketing, and core product quality—which are further detailed into dozens of specific factors (Long et al., 2024). These findings underscore the need for a comprehensive and systematic approach in designing culinary tourism development strategies ((Horng & Tsai, 2012); (Wondirad et al., 2021)).

In the case of Bogor City, efforts to become a leading culinary destination require not only an understanding of the list of determinant factors, but also an understanding of the structure of influence–dependence relationships among these factors in the development process. This need points to the importance of viewing the destination as a system rather than as a collection of isolated variables. Under these conditions, structural analysis becomes a relevant approach to identify key variables that most strongly shape development trajectories, as well as variables that function as supporting or consequential elements.

Within this framework, the present study uses MICMAC (Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification) as an analytical approach to conduct structural analysis of critical variables influencing the development of sustainable culinary tourism in Bogor City ((Godet, 1994); (Stratigea, 2013)). MICMAC is thus positioned as a tool to uncover the configuration of key factors required for designing strategies to develop Bogor City as a sustainable leading culinary destination. The method enables the mapping of each variable’s position based on its level of influence (driving power) and dependence, thereby identifying primary driving variables, supporting variables, outcome variables, and connecting variables that form the system’s structure. MICMAC is thus positioned as a tool to uncover the configuration of key factors required for designing strategies to develop Bogor City as a sustainable leading culinary destination.

Based on this background, the study aims to: (1) identify critical variables that influence the development of sustainable culinary tourism in Bogor City; (2) analyze the structural relationships and the levels of influence and dependence among these variables; and (3) determine key variables that can serve as the basis for formulating long-term strategies for culinary tourism development that support local economic sustainability, culinary heritage preservation, and destination carrying-capacity management. The findings are expected to provide theoretical contributions to the development of system-based conceptual models for sustainable culinary tourism in Indonesia, as well as strategic recommendations for local governments, businesses, and stakeholders in formulating policy directions and development scenarios for culinary tourism in Bogor City and other regions with similar characteristics.

The culinary tourism development system in Bogor City was supported by four determinant factors, namely government policy, budget and resource support, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and infrastructure. These variables formed the main foundation that strengthened destination attractiveness, stimulated local economic growth, and supported more directed tourism management, so they were appropriately positioned as the primary focus of policies and development strategies to ensure that Bogor’s culinary potential developed sustainably. The MICMAC analysis further showed that these determinants consistently acted as structural drivers of the system.

The MICMAC results also indicated that the relay variables, namely Leadership, Environment, Location, Atmosphere, Communication, Food Image, Uniqueness, Social Media, Food Quality, Promotion, Food Safety, Food Service, Human Resources, Service Quality, Management, and Price, had high levels of both influence and dependence within the system. Integrated management and cross-sectoral collaboration around these variables were found to be crucial for maintaining system stability and enhancing culinary appeal at national and international scales, while Food Culture, Authenticity, and Diversity contributed as reinforcers of identity and experiential value, and outcome variables such as Experience, Image, Loyalty, and Economy reflected the overall effectiveness of managing determinant and relay factors.

Therefore, the planning and implementation of culinary tourism development in Bogor City needed to focus on strengthening determinant factors and integrating the management of relay variables in order to achieve strong sustainability and competitiveness. Synergy among stakeholders and continuous innovation were also required so that culinary tourism could develop as a flagship destination that made a significant contribution to the city’s economy and image.

This study provided practical implications for managers and policymakers in the form of recommendations to optimize the role of government, strengthen infrastructure, allocate budgets more strategically, and use local culinary identity and diversity as the basis for destination differentiation. A focused emphasis on the main variables had the potential to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of culinary tourism while contributing to community economic development, although the analysis remained limited to one urban case and to an MICMAC-based structural approach. Future research can expand this work by comparing different cities, integrating additional quantitative performance indicators, and combining structural analysis with other system-based or behavioral methods to deepen the understanding of culinary tourism dynamics in Indonesia and beyond.

This research was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia through the Fundamental Research Grant in 2025. The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to all individuals and institutions who contributed and provided assistance throughout the course of this study.