We all eat and drink, and when we talk about what we eat and drink, it is a matter of taking a step towards the culinary heritage of the territories where we are born, grow up and move around on a daily basis. In other words, we all eat and drink, and what changes is what we eat and drink, in accordance with our customs or with the culture we are interested in learning about.
And it is in this context that tourism constitutes a vehicle through which this general behaviour of people is made visible, as a tool for sustainable development; which moves local economies and safeguards the culinary and/or gastronomic heritage of a destination (this includes traditions, recipes, dishes, cooking techniques, utensils, cooking stories, unique ingredients and history). Because travelling is a way to make the dream of living pleasant experiences come true, where the traveller does not pay to do things, but to feel good, to get in touch with others, to return home with a sense of the moment he/she lived where he/she was. They are human encounters. No matter what the destination.
Focusing on eating and drinking as experiences in a travel context, gastronomic tourism emerges. For the World Food Travel Association (WFTA), the organisation that created the concept of food tourism in the world and is the leading authority on the subject.
The Association has come up with a definition for Food Tourism: ‘Food Tourism is the act of travelling for a taste of place in order to get a sense of place’.
In this respect, WFTA has been conducting research for years, which has resulted in indicators that support the following statements:
Who are the people who go out in search of food tourism experiences and how does food and drink influence their travel decisions?
They are travellers who participate in food and drink experiences in addition to going out for food and drink activities, such as dining or lunch.
They are food-loving travellers, not food-loving travellers. It is very important to understand this difference. Food travellers are those who want to learn about local cultures and culinary customs. They love storytelling and history. They travel near and far to find authentic food and drink experiences and products.
And in this line of analysis, this is a very attractive segment for the hospitality and tourism industry, not only for gastronomic businesses. It goes much further. There are three large groups that can address this market by knowing precisely the motivations that these travellers have in order to seduce them with gastronomic tourism experiences and, therefore, with food and drink as the basic distinctive culinary elements of the character of the area where the chain in which each of the companies that make up this spiral of hospitality and tourism is located:
(a) Food and beverage businesses.
b) Travel and hospitality businesses.
c) Businesses and organisations related to the industry.
Within each of these groups, there are 20 different types of businesses that form a virtuous network to serve this market of food travellers, which WFTA calls the food tourism industry cluster:
Source: World Food Travel Association, WFTA
The behaviour of the food traveller.
In 2010, WFTA researched 11,235 food-loving consumers from just over 100 countries. The analysis identified 13 major food-loving profiles. Each has a distinct food and drink behaviour and their travel decision is determined by what they are motivated to discover and therefore the food tourism experience they seek.
To accurately target these food travellers and segment the market, it is important to understand their behaviour. This is why WFTA has built a psychoculinary profile on the basis of its research. An innovation that allows to approach and address that gastronomic traveller who would most love their experience or the destination where the business of this value chain is located.
Source: World Food Travel Association, WFTA
The 13 culinary psychology profiles are: Adventurous, Ambient; Authentic, Economical, Eclectic, Gourmet, Innovative, Localist, Beginner, Organic, Social, Trendy and Vegetarian.
These profiles define how people make different food and drink purchasing decisions. For some, the dining experience is more about the bragging rights of experiencing the most exclusive restaurants.
For some, the dining experience is more about the bragging rights of experiencing the most exclusive restaurants. For others, it might be more about the ambience or whether the restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients.
Because people who like variety and food lovers are not all the same, consumers may have up to 3 of the 13 main culinary psychology profiles. The same logic applies to destinations. For example, someone whose own profiles are Adventurous, Localist and Budget will respond favourably to a destination with the same profile. The same person would find it difficult to enjoy a destination whose profiles are Gourmet, Trendy and Innovative.
The question to capture these gastronomic travellers is then based on what is my offer and where should I make my efforts, to reach those with a profile or combination of these, who value my offer. Or perhaps, do the reverse exercise. When starting a food and beverage business that will be in the value chain of gastronomic tourism, or in a reactivation plan, determine in the territory where I am or where I will establish myself, what is the profile of the local food traveller or traveller of my interest that I want to attract and build my offer accordingly.
Data on travel decisions determined by food and drink.
Every five years, the World Food Travel Association WFTA publishes its international research on food travel trends, called the Food Travel Monitor. The latest was in 2020. The survey was conducted in 6 countries with over 4,500 respondents, balanced across genders and generations, and represents the most comprehensive research on the topic available today.
The following are the top 5 food travel trends found in the findings of the Food Travel Monitor. An aid to the analysis of food tourism decision making:
1. Millennials and Generation Z are the most promising food travel markets.
Five years ago (2015), millennials, or those born between 1981 and 1996, were considered the best food travellers compared to other generations. In 2020, this is still the case, with 77% of millennial leisure travellers taking trips ‘to enjoy memorable eating and drinking experiences’.
They are closely followed by Generation Z (those born after 1996), who are strongly motivated to explore local food and drink while travelling, despite their younger age and fewer travel experiences.
Both markets are particularly important for food and beverage industry professionals to attract and cultivate relationships, as they have decades of culinary tourism ahead of them.
2. Gourmet travellers enjoy active tourism and spend more.
Food travellers, more than leisure travellers, are interested in participating in a variety of tourism activities beyond food and drink. They seem to make the most of their trips by visiting cultural attractions, shopping, sightseeing and attending events and performances.
Food travellers also tend to ‘spend 24% more per day than other leisure travellers’. This is great news for all tourism destinations, which can be rewarded with increased revenues from this market by organising and promoting a variety of local activities for food travellers.
3. Travellers seek variety in their culinary travel experiences.
Food travellers tend to appreciate variety when it comes to their food and beverage experiences, from casual and adventurous to high-profile affairs. This trend is illustrated by the top 4 food travel activities listed by respondents: going to a restaurant ‘for a memorable experience’, eating at a gourmet restaurant, enjoying street food at a stall and going to a famous restaurant or bar.
In addition, they like to be actively involved with food and drink by participating in fairs, visiting food festivals, farms, wineries, taking cooking classes and participating in culinary tours.
4. Friends and family, online review sites and social networks are the most influential factors in travel decisions.
The biggest influence on travellers' decision to visit a new destination is a recommendation from friends and family (61% of all respondents). 53% of culinary travellers trust online review sites and 41% of them are influenced by posts from friends and family on social media. We trust the opinions of people close to us or like us, and food tourism is no exception.
While social media remains an important organisational communication channel for tourism destinations, the most effective promotion is done by individual travellers sharing their personal experiences on social media.
According to the 2020 Food Travel Monitor research, ‘85% of Millennial leisure travellers and 85% of Generation Z share their travel experiences on social media on at least half of their trips’. This represented a huge potential for free and credible advertising for food and beverage organisations, which needed to make a special effort to encourage customers to share their experiences on social media with friends and family. And today, where the advent of Covid-19 has accelerated the incorporation of digital technology into all areas of life, they make these communication channels one of the main channels of communication with friends and family.
5. Travellers prefer local, authentic and socially responsible culinary experiences.
Gone are the days when most tourists preferred safe, standardised food and beverage options when travelling to new destinations. Now, travellers are looking for local, traditional and authentic dishes and beverages that add to a better understanding of local culture. Offering unique culinary experiences particular to a specific region or area is a necessity to generate interest among modern travellers.
In addition, there is an increasing focus on supporting socially responsible businesses, with ‘63% of millennials trying to eat at places that demonstrate social responsibility’. Food and beverage companies are expected to not only operate in a responsive manner, but also to proactively communicate to their audiences about their socially responsible practices.
These food and beverage travel trends represent a tremendous growth opportunity for food and beverage operations and tourism destinations. The challenge and opportunity lies for the food and beverage tourism industry - whatever place the business decision-maker occupies in this value chain - in being able to adapt its operations, communications and marketing practices to changing customer preferences.
I invite you to learn more about the benefits of gastronomic tourism and if you want a specific research for your brand or destination, we can do it too: www.worldfoodtravel.org
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