Contribution of gastronomy tourists to the ecological footprint in Salatiga

Abstract Tourism activities that focus on the exploration of (local) food, known as gastronomy tourism, are increasingly popular. Salatiga is designated as a gastronomic city in Indonesia. The rapid growth of tourism has impacted the environment, making it important to evaluate the ecological footprint of tourism. The objectives of this study are: 1) to analyze the resource consumption per tourist in terms of carbon footprint generated from gastronomy tourism and 2) to study the contribution of ecological footprint of gastronomy tourists in Salatiga. The resulting carbon footprint was calculated through carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions generated from transportation, food and waste generation, and accommodation, as a guide to calculate the ecological footprint of gastronomy tourism in Salatiga. Using random sampling, a constructed questionnaire was collected from 139 tourists in Salatiga. The results showed that the carbon footprint of gastronomy tourism activities contributed up to 6 million kgCO 2 e per year, equivalent to 1,256.3 gha. The footprint is still appropriate, but could pose a threat to ecological sustainability. These findings provide important insights for policy makers and tourism industry players in formulating more sustainable strategies to manage gastronomy tourism in Salatiga.