Travel Advisors Face Challenges as Food Tourism Matures

For many travelers these days, local food experiences are taking precedence over museums and iconic landmarks. Making pasta with an Italian grandmother in Calabria or breaking bread with a family in their centuries-old farm in Portugal are the preferred ways to connect with a destination.

What’s behind the expanding — and deepening — interest in culinary tourism? Along with a desire for engaging experiences, travel experts credit the plethora of food and travel shows, along with the craze for posting foodie pics on social media.

Needless to say, feeding the growing demand for creative culinary experiences presents tremendous opportunities for travel advisors and tour operators. There are challenges as well, particularly in finding new options in well-worn tourist areas. Another is that lesser-known destinations offering first-rate food discoveries may not also have the accommodations and other infrastructure to match.

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— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

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Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [[email protected]] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.

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