FOOD TOURISM
IS ON THE BOIL
London, Travelpress.biz
It
could be the colorful sight of a giant
rustic paella in a Spanish seaside town
or the smell of a warm bagel on a New
York street. But whatever the dish, it
seems food is something an increasing
number of us remember from our
travels. Like
never before, holiday makers are
choosing where they go by what they can
put in their stomachs - and catering
for them is now top of the menu for
tour operators and
destinations.
Fiona
Jeffery, Group Exhibition Director of
World Travel Market, who undertook the
independent research with 2000 people
throughout the UK of all ages and socio
economic groups, said: "Food tourism
today is where eco-tourism was 20 years
ago; people are starting to take an
interest.
"Although
the research was carried out on behalf
of World Travel Market was in the UK,
we believe it is representative of a
new and growing phenomenon within the
international industry.
"The
industry needs to take note and use the
opportunity to its advantage.
Holidaymakers want a hands-on
experience and food is a manifestation
of a destination's culture.
"You
can open a different door with every
meal."
"The
last five years has seen an incredible
shift in the way holidays are marketed
and it's all because people are
demanding authentic experiences, said
Erik Wolf, president of the
International Culinary Tourism
Association, a non-profit group
representing more than 500 tourism
businesses in 19 countries."
For the
first time, the true extent of food
tourism has been measured in the UK by
World Travel Market, the premier
business event for the international
travel and tourism industry, with
research revealing more than half (53%)
ranked eating traditional dishes as a
'very important' or 'important' part of
their holiday.
Meanwhile,
a staggering 86% of Brits quizzed said
they enjoyed local foods when
abroad. The
trend is not just limited to those on
specialist tailor-made breaks either,
with 83% of people who typically go on
half- or full-board holidays admitting
they willingly miss meals in their
hotel or resort to try out local
restaurants.
International
chef Gary Rhodes, whose TV programmes
has helped open up the world's
traditional dishes and ingredients to a
hungry audience, has recently opened a
Rhodes restaurant in Calabash, on the
Caribbean island of Grenada and onboard
P&O Cruises' new liner Arcadia. He
said: "The
potential for tourism through dining is
enormous and what better way to learn
about a country than at the table! My
experience is that travellers are
becoming both more sophisticated and
daring about what they eat."
Changes
in Weekly Shop
Supermarkets
have played a major part in the shift
in attitudes, making foreign foods more
available.
One
supermarket chain, Waitrose, for
example, recently unveiled a range of
tapas and Greek dishes that customers
might have tried on their
holiday. "The
world is becoming a smaller place and
we are seeing our customers' tastes
change to reflect this. Dishes from all
corners of the globe are becoming
mainstream additions to the British
dinner table," said Waitrose
communications manager Gill
Smith."Flavours people have sampled on
holiday are becoming more
popular.
As they
travel to further afield, customers are
more willing to experiment with new
flavours. Our oriental range now
extends beyond Chinese dishes to
Japanese, Malaysian and Thai
foods. "We're
also finding that as people travel
more, they are more knowledgeable about
regional trends within countries.
Instead of simply wanting Indian foods,
we're finding that customers are aware
of Goan and Keralan food and want to
buy these dishes at their local
supermarket."
In the
research, the growing trend to change
what they put in their supermarket
trolley because of holiday experiences
is evident. A total of 42% said this
affected their weekly shop choices.Wolf
said that some tourist offices are
beginning to highlight food as a way of
promoting their country to foreign
visitors. This trend though must grow
still further.
Chicago
Led the Way
Chicago
led the way eight years ago when it
appointed former chef Judith Hines as
director of culinary arts and
events. She
oversees 275 annual food-related
events, including its summer-long
Stirring Things Up festival (May 1-Oct
31), which features culinary tours,
food festivals, farmers' markets and
concerts. Special hotel rates are
available to visitors during the
period.
Although
it's impossible to know how many
visitors are drawn by food alone, Hines
said millions come for the festivals,
including the 11-day Taste of Chicago
in July, where 3.5 million people
consumed 70,000 pounds of ribs and
250,000 slices of pizza last year. That
helped boost hotel occupancy to 90%
last summer.
"Food
certainly helps boost tourism. While
cultural events like theatre might be a
good hook for tourists, it won't appeal
to all; the attraction of food is
universal" said Hines.
"The
misperception is that it has to be all
five-star fine dining. We have 76
different ethnic neighbourhoods and
promote them all. Having really
authentic food is part of the
attraction."
Chicago's
focus on food includes a food concierge
in one of the city's largest tourist
offices adjacent to a large theatre
booking agency. "It's a great tie-up.
We explain the food scene to people who
are looking for somewhere to eat on
their night out."
Hines also
offers city tours with a difference,
with a bus stopping at four local
restaurants with diners having a course
in each. "It's a fun way to find out
about the city's culture and heritage,"
she explained.
Operators
claim the last five years has seen a
significant change in the eating habits
of Brits abroad, with clients shunning
the 'chips with everything' restaurants
and seeking out more local
flavours.This is borne out by World
Travel Market's independent research
which indicated that 62% of those
questioned shunned "glamorous" foreign
restaurants and wanted to eat in rustic
surroundings with the locals. Only 7%
said they would prefer to eat in
glamorous surroundings when
overseas. Only
15% of those questioned would plump for
international cuisine rather than food
typical of the area in which they were
staying.
Demand
for Authentic Experience
"People
want an authentic experience," claimed
Chris Orme, general manager of Far East
specialist Travel Indochina.
"We are
talking much more about food to people
when they book and make it a central
part of the holiday, going to local
restaurants and experimenting. The
availability of Chinese, Thai and
Vietnamese food in the UK means clients
want to try the authentic stuff much
more. "People
have booked particular holidays with us
on the strength of the food. We're
certainly not an operator that deals
with food tours, but eating has
certainly become a big interest for our
clients."
Long
Travel, a specialist in rural Italy and
Sicily, claimed around 85% of its
clients now asked specifically for food
advice when booking.
Contracts
manager Laura Bell said: "Customers
have very high expectations of the food
in Italy because it receives so much
good press and is always featured in
cookery programmes."Getting back to
nature and trying out dishes in a
traditional setting is a must for our
clients. Even the larger hotels we use
grow many of their own vegetables and
produce wine now."
Restaurant
Concierge Service
Mercedes
Fehler, marketing manager at upmarket
specialist Harlequin Worldwide said
demand for local cuisine was so high
among its customers the operator had
introduced a 'restaurant concierge'
service. Customers can contact the
operator before departure and the
concierge will recommend and make
reservations at restaurants around the
globe.
"The
concierge contacts the hotel the
customer is staying in to get advice
about the places to eat nearby and will
make bookings. It's a very popular
service in long-haul destinations,"
said Fehler. "Short haul, people tend
to get out and look themselves. Hunting
around for a place to eat in Europe is
something people are more comfortable
with."
Meanwhile,
Caribbean specialist Carib Tours runs a
'food evening' each year for regular
clients to showcase the best local
restaurants.
"People in
the UK have access to some of the best
restaurants in the world and so they
won't settle for poor food when they're
away," said Carib Tours managing
director Paul Cleary.
"The
four aspects of a holiday that are
important to our clients are weather,
beach, luxury and food.
"The trend
in the Caribbean has been for 'big
name' European restaurants and chefs to
open in the last few years. Clients
want to eat in them, maybe as a special
occasion. They also want to get out and
eat locally. In Barbados, the Oistin's
Fish Fry is a great example, but then
it also has The Cliff, one of the
world's best restaurants."
The DIY
trend has even started to spread
long-haul, according the Martin Grass,
sales and marketing director of Rex
Hotels., which has nine properties in
the Caribbean and two in Kenya.
"The
Caribbean ahs been dominated by the big
all-inclusives in the past and people
had no need to go out to eat. While
that is still very popular with the US
market, people from the UK are a bit
more adventurous, especially to the
eastern Caribbean.
Islands
such as Barbados and Antigua have
fantastic local restaurants and are
seen as safe to venture out at night.
The vast majority of our business from
the UK is now room-only, because people
want to sample the food and it is
comparatively cheap to eat
out."
But
food has become a central part of the
overseas marketing for nations around
the world. Earlier this year, Portugal
teamed up with Harrods to promote its
national dishes through the upmarket
stores famous food hall.
For the
European destination, the message aims
to attract not only those on
traditional packages, but also the
major villa holiday market
predominantly served by the low-cost
carriers, since these people eat out
more.
Portuguese
National Tourist Office director
José António Preto da
Silva said: "Our cuisine is now one of
the key attractions for UK visitors,
with each region of Portugal offering
unique cooking style as well as local
specialities.
"Mealtimes
are highly valued by the Portuguese,
providing a leisurely opportunity to
indulge in good food and good wine
while catching up with family and
friends, and this is a tradition we
encourage visitors to join in to
capture the true essence of our country
and people."
The
Rise of Food Festivals
Similarly,
Singapore hosts an annual food festival
each July celebrating a different
aspect of its culture. This year (it's
14th) marks the 40th anniversary of the
country's independence, majoring on
what it is perhaps best known for by
foreign visitors &endash; its hawker
(street) food.
Tee Yen
Chew, Singapore Tourism Board's Area
Director for Northern & Western
Europe said: "Singaporeans are
passionate about food and eating. In
almost every corner of the island, you
will find an endless variety of food
served hot or cold at any hour of the
day or night. Singapore's cultural
diversity is very much reflected in the
variety of local food it has to offer
&endash; Chinese, Malay, Indian,
Peranakan and Eurasian. It is very
important to communicate this to people
thinking about visiting Singapore. It's
not just a fusion of east and west, it
the country's unique cultural
tapestry."
Closer
to home, VisitScotland has begun to
promote food alongside its mainstay
messages such as golf and outdoor
pursuits. The country has also
introduced a national quality assurance
scheme, Eat Scotland, aimed at raising
standards and educating hoteliers and
restaurant owners about the important
part food plays for
visitors.
Key
Driver in Scotland
Sector
development manager for VisitScotland
Ewan Fairweather said: "Food is a key
driver in the holidaymaking decision.
We want those in the industry to shout
about their food, be proud and
enthusiastic. That will enrich the
visiting experience."
Las
Vegas, meanwhile, is a good example of
how destinations have changed the
emphasis of their food product as
tourism has changed.
Food has
always been part of the gambling city's
attraction from the opening of the
first all-you-can-eat buffet &endash;
the $1 Midnight Chuck Wagon at the El
Rancho hotel. But it was quantity over
quality promoted to its original
domestic clientele. Very often, food
and drink was considered a loss-leader
by the casinos, with establishments
giving it away to attract gamblers. The
arrival of high-rolling punters,
overseas tourists and large business
travel contingent means it now boasts
some the best restaurants in the US.
Today, Las Vegas is home to three
restaurants that have earned the AAA
Five Diamond rating: the Bellagio's Le
Cirque and Picasso and The Mirage's
Renoir.
"Dining
in Las Vegas has evolved significantly
from the days of the all you can eat
buffets," said Melanie Jones, of the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors
Bureau in the UK.
"Las Vegas
has now become synonymous with gourmet
cuisine and most of the top chefs have
now opened restaurants in the city from
Wolfgang Puck to Alain du Casse. Even
Guy Savoy who allegedly vowed, in the
past, that he would not consider
opening a restaurant in the
US."
For
further information telephone Jane
Larcombe on +44 (0)1892 785071 or email
jane@janelarcombecommunications.com
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