Tourism and food is an inseparable combination for an increasingly large community of people who, while travelling, do not give up the pleasures of the palate. They are culinary travellers, but there are many other ways to define them: food tourists, gourmet travellers, foodies. The form changes but the substance does not, because this glutton community focuses on the food and wine experience, making it their number one motivation for taking the trip. The official definition of food tourism by the OCTA (Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance), one of the agencies listed in the international arena for the study and analysis of the phenomenon, is summed up in these words: any form of tourist experience in which one discovers, one can appreciate and/or consume foods and drinks that reflect the heritage, cuisine and local culture, regional or national.
The term foodie was coined by two journalists, Paul Levy and Ann Barr in 1984, when they released the book The Official Foodie Handbook, which is still the bible for lovers of good food and wine. We are not talking about gourmet chefs or wine and food critics who are paid for their work but simply lovers of good food and wine who search for festivals, tastings and openings of local and gourmet events. Their stay may be short (from morning to night or even from lunch to dinner) or constitute a real trip intended as an in-depth learning experience to know more about a place and its history. A foodie is a connoisseur who loves food as a hobby and is attentive and curious about new products in the sector.
Among the activities preferred by the gourmand communities, there are food festivals and farmers' markets, wine cellars tours with wine tasting and culinary workshops and cooking classes. The food becomes the protagonist of the story and the storytelling journey is characterised by smells, tastes and colours, which is then shared on blogs and social media.
Identikit
There are some features that clearly identify culinary travellers:
-They are attentive to the quality of the products, their origin, preparation and preservation methods
-They see the act of eating as an opportunity to socialise and share experiences
-They have a higher spending capacity than average
-They tend to return to the places they have visited and become loyal customers if the journey is consistent with their expectations
-They are also attentive to the artistic and cultural aspects of the places they have visited
Favourite destinations for Culinary travellers
The two destinations globally recognised for satisfying even the most demanding palates are (and it’s no surprise) Italy and France. Here restaurants, bars, kiosks, street food are a continuous hymn to taste, quality and merriment.
Looking past the traditional circuits we find, among the most popular destinations even multicultural metropolis like San Francisco and New York, that they have a wide range of offers for all budgets. Then there are the emerging destinations such as Asia and South America, with strong flavours and spices suitable for even the most fearless palates.