|
|
|
|
|
|
In an exclusive interview with Travel and Tour World,
Erik Wolf, Executive Director & Founder at World
FoodTravel Association speaks on the staggering rise of
food tourism globally.
|
TTW – What made you specialize in
the food tourism and travelling? How
do you relate culinary to travelling?
Erik Wolf : I have been a
foodie my entire life, and have
worked my entire professional career
in the travel industry. After the
Dot Com bust in 2001, I suspected a
layoff in the company I was working
for. I was right and three months
later I was laid off. I did some
soul searching to look at what I
liked doing, where I had contacts,
and my skill sets. It all came back
to food and travel. I put the two
words together and a new industry
was born. Food and drink are an
important part of traveller
experiences, because 100% of
visitors to a destination must eat.
Not all visitors go shopping or even
stay in a hotel but everyone eats.
We can let them eat Western fast
food, or send them home with tasty
memories. The more of the five human
senses that are incorporated, the
longer lasting the memories will be.
TTW – With the present growing knack
for both business and personal
travelling, how does food tourism
act as a catalyst in promoting
tourism?
Erik Wolf : Food and drink
are personal passion drivers. They
motivate people to choose one
destination over another. So if a
destination has the best American
cole slaw or Indian fish curry, it
will drive people to visit. Not
everyone is propelled by an interest
in food, but that interest is going.
There is also an increase in
opportunistic food travellers – who
participate in a food or drink
activity because it is there.
|
TTW: What are the specified zones where the food
tourism has flourished and drawn tourist from
worldwide?
Erik
Wolf : The world-wide popular
destinations are still popular. There is no
replacement for Paris, New York City or
Singapore. The secondary and tertiary
destinations are now starting to grow in terms
of prominence. Most of the Canadian provinces
have food tourism marketing programs. Scotland
and Ireland have both done great jobs marketing
their food and drink. Recently, Sweden has been
doing a lot to market its food scene. These
lesser known destinations are supplanting
popular foodie destinations like Spain and
Italy, especially among seasoned foodie
travellers who have been to these favourite
countries already. There are so many more
destinations that are embracing food tourism –
it is almost impossible to name them all.
Defining Food Tourism
We are often asked to define “Food Tourism”. We
have seen many definitions from around the
world, but for us, the definition is as simple
as this. Food Tourism is:
“The pursuit and enjoyment of unique and
memorable food and drink experiences, both far
and near.”
We say “food tourism”, but drinking beverages is
an implied and associated activity. It is also
cumbersome to say “food and drink tourism”.
We need to clarify “far and near”. We can also
be food travelers in our own regions, cities and
neighborhoods. If you rarely leave your
neighborhood and travel across town to a new
neighborhood to go to a special grocery store or
to eat out, you’re a “food traveler” in your own
backyard! The act of traveling is implied
because most people travel at least across their
own town, if not the region, the country and
even the planet. The distance covered is not as
important as the fact that we are always on the
move. We are all “travelers” of a sort and we
are all “eaters”. Therefore, we can also all be
regarded as “food travelers”.
Previously we had used the phrase “culinary
tourism” to describe our industry. We stopped
using that phrase in 2012 because our research
showed that it gave a misleading impression.
While “culinary” technically can be used for
anything relating to food and drink and
initially seems to make good sense, the
perception among the majority of
English-speakers we interviewed is that the word
“culinary” is elitist. Nothing could be further
from the truth about what our industry and our
Association are all about. “Food Tourism” is
inclusive and includes the food carts and street
vendors as much as the locals-only (gastro)pubs,
dramatic wineries, or one-of-a-kind restaurants.
There is something for everyone in the food
tourism industry.
We’ve seen many more definitions of food
tourism, some of which are quite elaborate. Of
course things like fresh, local, organic,
sustainable, and seasonal are all important
considerations, as is preserving the local
culinary culture. These are details that tend to
overcomplicate our understanding. In defining
“food tourism”, simpler is better.
The
Flying Gourmet looks at the latest Culinary
News
 CULINARY
TOURISM WHITE PAPER RELEASED:
The first white paper ever published to address the
strategic issues regarding the "culinary tourism"
niche market is now available for download at
www.culinarytourism.org. The paper, entitled,
"Culinary Tourism: A Tasty Economic Proposition,"
was written by Erik Wolf, a destination marketing
consultant with 15 years' experience in the travel
industry.
 The
white paper begins with a general overview of
culinary tourism and why food, beverage and travel
industry professionals need to pay attention to it.
A brief outline of the agricultural "roots" of
culinary tourism is followed by a realistic
discussion of the economic potential of the niche.
Examples from Australia and California's Napa
Valley are cited. As Wolf examines the typical
profile of culinary tourists, he highlights what
makes culinary tourists interesting - they are
explorers. The paper is not an implementation plan
for a culinary tourism strategy, and Wolf only
briefly canvasses the various types of culinary
tourism. Instead, he goes into detail regarding the
litany of benefits that culinary tourism offers
food/beverage providers, the travel industry,
residents, communities, and of course, tourists.
The paper concludes by acknowledging several issues
that may hamper culinary tourism development, and
he predicts the future of the culinary tourism
niche.
Culinary
tourism is important for many reasons. According to
the U.S. National Restaurant Association, the
Travel Industry Association of America and the
Canadian Tourism Commission, dining out is one of
the most popular tourist activities. Consider that
nearly 100% of tourists dine out while traveling
and the message starts to sink in. Even culinary
tourists cannot eat constantly. Tourists who are
interested in wine/cuisine also show an affinity
for museums, theater, shopping, music, film
festivals and outdoor recreation. Business owners
will appreciate the fact that the higher the total
dinner bill, the more likely the patrons are
tourists.
The
concept of culinary tourism is as old as time.
Thousands of years ago, merchants traveled the
Seven Seas, looking for foodstuffs to trade.
Spices, wine, fruits and olive oil were the
currencies of yore. Today, we unwittingly do much
the same. However, modern travelers tend to prefer
restaurants and wineries in place of battered ships
traversing pirate-infested trade routes.
....Our Flying
Gourmet
continues with a feature on
... Airline food and one of Canada's original
caterers.
.
More
on food from GourmetSpot (www.gourmetspot.com).
The site includes recipes for foods and beverages,
restaurant guides and
information about the various tools used in the
kitchen.
|
|
|
.
