It seems that the age old proverb stating that the way to a man?s heart is through his stomach holds more true now than ever before. In fact, one can safely conclude simply by observing the ever-rising trend of the food travel market that the path to anyone?s heart, man or woman, can be mapped out through unique culinary experiences.
And travel agencies, as well as destination management companies, are taking note. The need for travel agencies to position themselves as a strong value proposition to the modern-day traveller is essential in an attempt to survive and thrive in the competitive global market.
Not too long ago, tourists and travellers were segmented into a few niches, and now, professional travel agencies have to diversify their offer in order to target a new breed of tourists, the food traveller. Or perhaps more adeptly named, the foodie. Does the rise of the food travel market stand a chance of remaining a global trend, or is it just another fad soon to be forgotten" Should travel agencies pay attention and tailor their packages to fuel this new and seemingly lucrative niche" The answers may surprise you.
The piece of the food tourism cake
Observing from the global perspective, 10% of anything is a big deal. The rise in the global food travel market has seen a significant increase in recent years ? according to the study by Mandala Research in 2013. The researchers followed the fluctuations of the culinary traveller niche from 2006 to 2013 and notic...