Destinations Try to Build a Brand With Culinary Tourism
Photo Credit: A river runs through Providence, Rhode Island. Flickr / Jef Nickerson
Skift Take
Most destinations boast a local (and delicious) dish or cuisine making culinary tourism a common marketing pitch but not one that truly differentiates it from competitors. Tying cuisine into culture and experience is a more integrated and long-term approach to success.
In 2005, the tourism body for Providence, Rhode Island, discovered that it desperately needed a brand refresh and successfully turned itself into a New England culinary hub with chefs and new restaurants concepts attracting visitors for foodie trips.
Now, a decade later, Providence is realizing that food alone isn't enough to build a long-term tourism brand.
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau commissioned a study in 2005 that found that the city ranked seventh out of ten of New England cities for quality restaurants. It decided to develop a culinary brand given the area’s abundance of seafood, fresh produce, young talented chefs coming to the region, and Johnson & Wales University’s culinary program.
It started by launching a rest
