WHAT IS FOOD TOURISM?

“The act of traveling for a taste of place in order to get a sense of place.”

Our definition of this phrase automatically includes beverages because “food and beverage tourism” is cumbersome to say. Also, it is implied that if people are eating, they are probably drinking as well. We use “food travel” and “food tourism” interchangeably.

We began with this phrase when our industry was young, but we realized after 10 years, that native English speakers found the phrase a bit pretentious. That surprised us as this was never our intent. Still, the elitist perception of the phrase remains. “Culinary” echoes time spent in professional culinary training to become a chef. While it may not be the best phrase, it does already include “beverages” without further explanation. And in certain circumstances, such as discussing “culinary culture,” to our ears, this phrase simply sounds better than “food culture”, although again, the terms are interchangeable.

We find this phrase used mostly in Europe, and mostly among speakers of romance languages. That said, the term is also starting to catch on in Asia and the Middle East. For Europeans, “food travel” sounds very basic and banal – almost like cavemen hunting for food or a modern human searching for food in a grocery store. For Europeans, “gastronomy” is the term used to explain an area’s culinary culture, and for them, it follows that “gastronomy tourism” makes the most sense. To native English speakers, the phrase sounds a bit “elitist” but in context, we understand why this term is used. In these areas, we find it perfectly acceptable to use the term “gastronomy tourism.”

The overall culinary and gastronomy heritage of a destination. This includes customs, traditions, recipes, dishes, cooking techniques, utensils, cooking stories, unique ingredients, and history.

This describes a destination development strategy to put a destination on a food lover’s map by identifying all food and beverage resources, bringing them together, weighing their value, assessing market forces, and engaging fundamental stakeholders. 

Travelers who participate in food or beverage experiences other than dining out.