Culinary Tourism: A powerful motivator for US travelers
This is the power of food, drink and the development of Culinary Tourism.
By experiencing a country�s food a traveler is able to understand history and culture in a very rich and more emotive manner.
As noted by The International Culinary Tourism Association, ?because food and drink involve all five of the human senses, we�ll remember a meal much longer than we will a museum or stained-glass windows.?
Culinary Tourism is a powerful motivator for travelers and continues to grow year over year.
The Travel Activities and Motivation Survey (TAM) conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism reports that:
125.7 million Americans (71% of all American travelers) participated in at least one culinary activity while on an out of town trip in 2004 and 2005. It A�A�A�A� was also noted that pursuing such an activity was one of the most important travel activities they sought.
According to YBP&R/Yankelovich, Inc. 2007;
44% of leisure travelers (US) now feel that the opportunity to try different and unusual cuisines is a very/extremely desirable attribute of a vacation.
The Profile of Culinary Travelers, 2006 Edition, published by the Travel Industry of America underscores the desire to experience regional and local cuisine as a major reason for participating in Culinary Travel.
85% of Culinary Travelers enjoy learning about the local culture and cuisines.
66% of these travelers say they always want their travel to be experiential so they make an effort to try regional cuisines, culinary specialties and local wines and spirits.
Culinary Travelers not only support local economies through dining out, visits to farmers markets, attendance of culinary events and festivals, but they also have a desire to take their experience home and share it with friends and family. The Travel Industry of America reports in their study;
70% of Culinary Travelers enjoy bringing back regional foods, recipes, wines etc. from places they have visited to share with family and friends.
This demonstrates the power of Culinary Tourism and it�s ability to create rich, memorable experiences that emotionally connect with travelers and elevate them from tourist to advocate.
For more information about developing culinary tourism strategies, products and experiences please contact us..