More Than an Exhibition: Why Food & Hospitality Indonesia Is Becoming Southeast Asia's Business Gateway
Food & Hospitality Indonesia (FHI) has grown into one of Southeast Asia's most influential business platforms, bringing together industry professionals, innovators, and buyers from around the world.
When discussing Southeast Asia's food and hospitality industries, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam often receive much of the attention. Yet another market is rapidly emerging as one of the region's most important business destinations.
Indonesia
Home to more than 280 million people and one of Asia's fastest-growing middle classes, Indonesia has become Southeast Asia's largest foodservice market. According to the latest industry report, the country's Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional (HRI) sector reached US$29 billion in 2024, supported by growing domestic consumption, a thriving tourism industry, and changing consumer lifestyles.
Against this backdrop, Food & Hospitality Indonesia (FHI) 2026 will return to Jakarta International Expo (JIEXPO) from 21 to 24 July, celebrating its 20th edition as Indonesia's leading international B2B exhibition for the food, beverage, and hospitality industries. More than 500 exhibitors from 32 countries are expected to showcase products, technologies, and business solutions spanning foodservice, hospitality, equipment, interior design, and packaging.
FHI is far more than a trade exhibition.
It is where suppliers meet distributors, chefs exchange ideas with manufacturers, investors discover emerging brands, and hospitality professionals explore the technologies shaping tomorrow's industry. Alongside the exhibition, business matching programs, educational seminars, culinary masterclasses, coffee championships, wine education, and sustainability initiatives create an environment where knowledge and partnerships grow together.
Insight
The value of FHI cannot be measured simply by counting exhibitors or visitors. Its real value lies in the ecosystem it creates. Indonesia is no longer simply an emerging consumer market. It is increasingly becoming a regional business hub where companies from across Asia and beyond come together to exchange ideas, identify partners, and build long-term business relationships. For companies seeking opportunities in Southeast Asia, understanding this ecosystem may prove just as important as understanding the market itself.
For Japanese businesses, this shift deserves attention.
As Indonesia's hospitality industry continues to expand, demand is also increasing for premium food products, kitchen equipment, sustainable solutions, hospitality technology, and professional expertise—areas where Japanese companies have built strong international reputations. FHI provides an opportunity not only to observe these developments, but also to understand how regional markets are evolving and where future collaboration may emerge. Japanese companies are well positioned to respond to these needs.
During FHI 2026, ”delicious Japan” will report, highlighting not only innovative products and technologies but also the people, conversations, and business trends shaping one of Asia's fastest-growing hospitality markets. Trade exhibitions do more than display products. They reveal where industries are heading, where partnerships begin, and often where tomorrow's business opportunities first appear.
For “delicious Japan”, exhibitions are never simply about products—they are about people, ideas, and the conversations that shape tomorrow's food and hospitality industries.
