GastroTourism: When People Travel to Eat

Consistently ranked among the top reasons why people travel is to eat and drink. Aside from weather and scenery, a specific region’s culinary offerings are a top consideration for travelers booking a trip.

Travelers crave a memorable eating and drinking experience, whether it’s gourmet or not. Many people want authentic ethnic cuisines from the source and are willing to travel to that region to sample its unique dishes.

Because food and beverage are so closely tied with a region’s culture, travelers believe indulging in any and all culinary escapades in a specific destination is key to understanding that particular culture.

As more and more people become curious about where their food comes from, travelers have now seized the opportunity to eat their favorite foods from the source. Popular trips include eating and drinking around the Basque Country in Spain; sampling spectacular produce and fresh seafood in Wales; visiting Morocco for the most unique, worldly cuisine; and trekking to Japan for dishes like ramen, soba noodles and sushi.

By journeying to faraway places in order to eat, travelers are able to truly experience what it’s like to eat like a local and often come away with a richer understanding of their desired destination’s circumstances like growing conditions, weather patterns, agriculture and the economy and how it relates to food. By delving into a culture’s culinary side, travelers’ appetite for culture is satiated.