This year, 2020, will bring changes to our food tourism industry. Drawn partly from our latest market research report the 2020 Food Travel Monitor, and observing the changes on our industry brought on by COVID, we formulated a list of of ten predictions that you can expect to see in the culinary tourism industry. And good news – the majority of our predictions are quite positive!
- Our love of good food and drink won’t change.
- Expect to see a greater respect for, and interest in, local culinary cultures & sustainability.
- There is still strong opportunity for development & diversification in beverage products and experiences.
- Health & safety will be of utmost concern, which will create new opportunities.
- Expect to see new attention given to developing “contactless” products and also new culinary experiences for differently-abled travelers.
- Smaller companies can gain market share from leaders who are failing to innovate right now.
- Many weaker businesses will unfortunately fail, while strong businesses will get stronger.
- “Weaker” businesses might also succeed by pivoting to a new business model.
- Experiences that require more income (e.g. gourmet and luxury) will likely see reduced participation or slower growth.
- Expect to see younger people delaying their adoption of new food & drink experiences.
These predictions were discussed in depth in the opening session of the 2020 FoodTreX Online Food Travel Summit. If you missed the Summit, you can still order here access to the recordings and key takeaways summary.
To learn more about how the World Food Travel Association can help your destination or business to leverage the power of food and drink in tourism towards future success, please send us an email.
