Jakarta, Oct. 20 -- Indonesia's Tourism Ministry and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) have expanded their partnership to enforce stricter food safety standards across thousands of tourism villages nationwide, officials said Tuesday.

The joint initiative aims to bolster visitor confidence, elevate service standards, and enhance the commercial appeal of local destinations by integrating BPOM's Food-Safe Village framework into national tourism programs.

"This synergy is a strategic step to ensure food safety becomes an inseparable part of tourism services, making tourism villages not only attractive to visit but also safe to enjoy," Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said in an official statement.

The agreement focuses on...