Hungry for Travel This Year? NYC Boutique NYC PR Agency Showcases Top Five Food Tourism Trends

​Culinary travel, also known as food tourism, enables food lovers to get an authentic experience and explore a culture through food.  A recent study by World Food Travel reports “the global culinary tourism market is expected to grow by nine percent between 2019 and 2023.

Did you know . . . 

• 45 percent of respondents participated in at least five different culinary activities during their vacation.
• 59 percent of respondents believe that local food and drinks are more important for tourism then they were five years ago.
• 81 percent of respondents believe that local food helps them understand the local culture
• 82 percent of respondents spend more money on food and drink when traveling compared to being home

(Source:  World Food Travel)
Allen Marketing Communications, a boutique travel, food, and lifestyle PR agency, spotlights the top five food tourism this year. 

Authentic and Local Food Tourism
We all know about the long-standing, most famous foodie destinations, such as France and Italy. While these will hold onto their status, a large number of foodies are turning towards more authentic, regional experiences. Some of the new, popular destinations include Australia, the Philippines, and South Africa. 

Tourists are doing more than just switching destinations in their search for local, authentic food. Instead of making reservations at high-class, fine-dining establishments, many are instead choosing street vendors, food festivals, and food halls. The preference has changed due to a want to not only learn about the food of a certain place, but to learn about its culture as well. 

Now, this is not to say that sit-down meals at nice restaurants are a thing of the past, because that certainly is not the case. However, tourists still prefer local, fresh ingredients even then! 

Hands-On Experiences
After being stuck at home for a year, people want more than the traditional foodie experience when engaging in culinary travel. For many, this means hands-on experiences, such as cooking classes, food festivals, food tours, vineyard and brewery tours. 

They want more than to just taste the flavors, they want to learn about local ingredients and take part in the culture. Essentially, they want more than the traditional dining experience. 

Individualized Experiences
Travelers don’t want a standard, one-size-fits-all option for their vacations anymore. Instead, they are looking to individualized, unique, and memorable experiences. Private tastings are one of the ways in which tourists will accomplish this; the meal itself is catered to their preferences. 

People are looking for experiences that go above and beyond. Research also shows “tourists are becoming more interested in trying home-cooked meals while getting the chance to interact with locals.”

Sharing Through Social Media
Social media gives us an easy way to stay connected with our friends and family, allowing us to share photos, thoughts, opinions, and more. So when people go on vacation, they utilize social media to show their loved ones what they’re up to. 

This means plenty of pictures of food from vacation on Instagram, Facebook, and more. Because of this, restaurants have to focus on not only making their food delicious but well-presented. Unique and beautiful dishes are becoming increasingly popular to create a social media buzz. 

Virtual Food Tourism
Virtual cooking classes gained popularity during the pandemic; people could buy a meal kit and prepare restaurant-quality food at home. We expect to see this taken to the next level for the remainder of 2021. 

People are going to explore the flavors and cuisine of a destination without ever leaving their house. The ingredients are sent to them, and they participate in a virtual class with a teacher local to the region the food is from. 

Additionally, activities like virtual food tours and wine tastings are expected to hold onto or even gain popularity in the upcoming year. 

Food tourism has been gaining popularity steadily, and it’s not expected to slow down any time soon. Allen Marketing Communications will help you navigate these trends!

By Kendall Mason at Allen Marketing Communications, inc.

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