A specially moment marked the commencement of an agreement signed in November 2021 between Marriott International and the Bank of Indonesia, in which the international hotel chain has committed to source a large percentage of their produce from Bali to support the island’s local agricultural industry.
This commitment is part of Marriott International’s campaign, #ByBaliForBali, which aims to bring a focus to the locally produced goods on the island, and thus bolster the local, regional economy. In line with Marriott’s Serve360 mandate and guided by the 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals, the MoU outlines the collaboration with two leading food supply chain companies, Perusahaan Umum Daerah Dharma Santhika Tabanan and UD Aditya Poultry Shop, to support the local Balinese agricultural and fishing industries.
An inaugural toast and dinner held on 18 January 2022 at the St Regis Bali Resort, Nusa Dua, marked the commencement of the MoU Agreement, launching the campaign and efforts to further source locally. The event was attended by Bali Governor, I Wayan Koster; the Director of Bank of Indonesia, Trisno Nugroho; Ramesh Jackson, Area Vice President – Indonesia, Marriott International; as well as heads of Bali’s regencies, hotel general managers and other important stakeholders.
“Guided by Marriott’s Serve360 to advocate for local sourcing by ensuring a substantial amount of all produce are locally sourced by 2025, this is the first step towards the right direction to a better and more sustainable future,” said Ramesh Jackson, Area Vice President – Indonesia, Marriott International.
Following the formalities, The St. Regis Bali Resort hosted a dinner at their celebrated Boneka restaurant, which showcased a menu of authentic Balinese cuisine and local delicacies. This featured the resort’s award-winning ‘sate’, which one Gold Medal at the National Competition by Worldchefs in 2018; but most importantly the dinner displayed that Balinese ingredients and cuisine has its rightful place in five-star culinary settings and experiences.
Inspired by the growing global movement towards sustainability, and embracing produce from closer to home, an indicator for upcoming #ByBaliForBali activations, the campaign converges its spotlight on the abundance of locally available agricultural products, fisheries and local artisans like Arak Bali and local products like the Balinese batik (endek) to name a few.
Guests can look forward to unique and inventive adaptational signature dishes with the increase in the usage of more local Balinese produce such as snack fruits, mangosteens, oranges, salt, coffee, and many more at Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotels and resorts in Bali in the future.
