Food: To Go — The Impact, Influence and Interests of the Culinary Traveler

A recent study by the World Food and Travel Association revealed some fascinating new data about an important and influential group in the world of F&B: culinary travelers. The lifeblood of the leisure travel industry, culinary travelers prioritize food and drink experiences in their travels, and go out of their way to make those adventures happen. According to the study, culinary travelers make up roughly half of all trip takers. That is not only a big segment, it reflects broader trends within the travel community. As the survey points out, a remarkable 93 percent of all survey respondents had “participated in a unique food or beverage activity while traveling in the past two years,” a number that presents “an increase over past studies.”

Culinary travelers spend an average of $123 a day on food and drinks, compared with $80 per day from non-culinary travelers.

These findings are significant because this group of traveling food and beverage aficionados is also very engaged…