This week, the World Food Travel Association announced the winners of its 2022 Global Culinary Travel Awards to recognize excellence and innovation in culinary products and experiences for travelers. This year’s winners are:

Best Emphasis on Wellness & Health in Culinary Travel

1st place – Spa Eastman (Quebec, Canada)

Runner Up – Nomads, Nature & Nurture (Lebanon)

Best Use of Sustainability in Culinary Travel

1st – Vegan Travel Asia by VegVoyages (Nepal)

Runner Up – Herdade da Malhadinha Nova (Portugal)

Best Celebration of Culinary Culture in Culinary Travel

1st – Jiranileo (Zambia)

Runner Up – Heather’s Helsinki (Helsinki, Finland)

Best Focus on Wine & Beverages in Culinary Travel

1st – HaliPuu / Campfire Barista (Finland)

Runner Up – Cadushy Distillery (Bonaire)

Best Appreciation of Agriculture & Rural in Culinary Travel

1st – La Balade Gourmande (Quebec, Canada)

Runner Up – Conseil de l’industrie bioalimentaire de l’Estrie (Quebec, Canada)

“I’m delighted that we had such a robust turnout this year. We really didn’t know what to expect because of the state of the world. We were impressed by the quality and diversity of this year’s applications. There were some amazing applications, proving that there is still so much to see, to do and to taste in the world,” said Erik Wolf, Executive Director and Founder of the World Food Travel Association.

The Global Culinary Travel Awards (first called the FoodTrekking Awards) were introduced by the WFTA in 2015 to set the benchmark for excellence and innovation in our industry.  The annual Awards open every March 1, and winners are announced in the fall. This year, 10 winners were chosen from 131 entries from 27 countries who all strove to earn recognition for their business or destination.

The Awards Ceremony will be broadcast online on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 16:00 London UK time. Interested media professionals please get in touch for an invitation.

Culinary travel was officially recognized as a niche industry in 2001 with the publication of a white paper, “Culinary Tourism: The Hidden Harvest.” Since then, the industry has experienced tremendous growth in both the quantity and quality of products and experiences for food- and beverage loving-travelers.