Culinary Tourism Defined |

Culinary Tourism Defined

February 11th, 2010Blog, Travel & Tourism0 comments

Culinary Tourism is defined as the pursuit of unique, memorable and authentic culinary experiences of all kinds, often while traveling, but one can also be a culinary tourist at home.

The phrase unique, memorable and authentic is key to understanding Culinary Tourism. Many times people hear ‘Culinary Tourism’ and they think it means restaurants that have earned 5 stars or better or high-end wineries. But this isn’t the case – Culinary Tourism is not always what is pretentious, exclusive or expensive. Culinary Tourism can include a local pastry shop serving delicious treats, a dive bar that is known for a truly original dish, an ethnic street vendor in New York City, or a tiny bistro in Paris loved by locals.

Culinary Tourism includes culinary experiences of all kinds. It’s much more than dining guides and restaurant weeks. It encompasses cooking schools, cookbook and kitchen gadget stores, culinary tours and tour leaders, culinary media and guidebooks, caterers, wineries, breweries, distilleries, food growers and manufacturers, culinary attractions and more.

While many people pursue these experiences while traveling, local residents can be culinary tourists in their own town. We often get set in our ways, frequenting the same favorite restaurants and rarely leave our neighborhoods. Trekking across town to try an interesting new place is also Culinary Tourism.

Emerging Culinary Travel hotspots include Peru, South Africa, India and China, as well as, Texas, Louisiana and Seattle in the United States.

We at Gastro Travels believe that every city in every country has something to offer the Culinary Tourist and we look forward to uncovering the most mouth watering opportunities and sharing them with our readers!

Culinary Hotspots