Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - (Page 51) Snorkeling, surfing, shopping and clubbing all sound good, but some would happily exchange those activities for a glass of Syrah or Gewürztraminer and a plate of buttered organic baby peas. This is the trade-off of a travel trend known as culinary tourism. According to Culinary Tourism: The Hidden Harvest by Erik Wolfe, president and CEO of the International Culinary Tourism Association (www.culinarytourism.org), culinary tourism is “the development and promotion of prepared food/drink as an attraction for visitors.” Studies are showing an explosive rise in culinary trips, which can mean big business for travel agents. The Travel Activities and Motivation Survey (TAM) conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, for example, reports that 125.7 million Americans (71 percent of all adult American travelers) participated in at least one culinary activity while on an out-of-town trip in 2004 and 2005, and pursuing such an activity was one of the most important travel experiences they sought. Nora Pouillon—chef, author and restaurant owner—puts it, people want to “travel in their minds.” Furthermore, Judith Jones, the book editor who introduced the world to Julia Child, points out that with the decrease of stay-at-home moms, a new generation has had to learn cooking from scratch. While these statistics pertain to cookbooks, they’re telling of something else as well: People are interested in preparing their own food, and because cooking is an art that has been pushed to the back burner, people need instruction. Who Wants to Cook on Vacation? Plenty of people feel the desire to step into the kitchen while enjoying their vacation. And, these people can generally be easily profiled. Clients who take culinary vacations tend to be affluent and well educated. (Age, however, does not seem to be a factor. All generations have been represented on foodie trips.) Harry Dalgaard, president of Avanti Destinations (www.avantidestinations.com), says, “Seasoned travelers are the core of any travel agency’s profit base—and these people want an authentic experience in their vacations. Cooking schools and fine dining can turn their trip into something very special and help develop long-term loyalty to the travel agency.” It’s important to emphasize to clients that they don’t need to be gourmet cooks—they don’t even have to know how to cook! Michael Schrobat from Culinary Expeditions Tour Company (www.nw culinarytours.com) identifies the ideal culinary traveler as a “foodie, adventure seeker, fun, open-minded, between 18 and 108, healthy and thirsting for experiences in life.” Clients whom agents have sent hiking, fishing, diving, ziplining, CONTINUED ON PAGE 52 LEFT: Wine, cheese and fruit on a Parisian balcony BELOW: Capannelle’s Kitchen at Villa San Michele Cookery School in Florence The Heat Is On Why is culinary tourism so hot? “Eating is a universal activity,” Wolfe says. “Not everyone golfs or goes shopping, but everyone eats. Also, people are more attuned to food now than ever before.” The reason for this is twofold. On one hand is the desire to experience a destination in a more intimate way than the traditional tourist overview. The food and drink of a local people are a doorway into their culture. “We think culinary travel is so popular because it connects us to the way we live, perhaps to our family history, or another country’s history and its culture,” says Lisa Goldman, vice president of Tour de Forks (www.tourdeforks.com). “Food and culture are intertwined. You can’t have one without the other.” “As the U.S. population grows increasingly diverse and diners’ palates grow more and more sophisticated, ethnic cuisine is reaching America’s ‘Main Street,’” says Steven C. Anderson, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association (www.restaurant.org). The desire to prepare food and—even better—to prepare it in its natural environment is bringing people to the classrooms. By interacting with a country’s food, a traveler is delving into its history. As Wolfe puts it, culinary tourism “is a subset of cultural tourism, because cuisine is a manifestation of culture. And because food and drink involve all five of the human senses, we’ll remember a meal much longer than we will a museum or stained-glass windows.” Eating Healthy The other reason for the growth of culinary tourism is the rising practice of healthful eating. The term being tossed around the culinary world is F .L.O.S.S.: fresh, local, organic, seasonal, sustainable. Farm-totable programs, which many restaurants have adopted, are an example of the burgeoning programs accommodating travelers’ appetite for eating farm-fresh products. The desire to move away from prepackaged, microwavable “convenience” foods means learning how to prepare fresh foods and getting the freshest, most nutritious products available. The American Booksellers Association says that cookbooks are a $400 million per year industry and have had a 5 percent annual growth since 1996. Several cookbook experts attribute this increase to people’s desire to keep track of our cultural and national progression and, as August 4, 2008 TravelAgent | 51 http://www.culinarytourism.org http://www.avantidestinations.com http://www.nwculinarytours.com http://www.tourdeforks.com http://www.nwculinarytours.com http://www.restaurant.org
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor Africa Europe Pacific/Asia Hawaii Las Vegas Australia Alaska Central & South America Adventures by Disney comes to Costa Rica Caribbean Cruises Cover Story: Have Food? Will Travel Air Consolidators Hotels Tours Gay & Lesbian Travel Agent Profile Bidding for Business Agenda Caribbean Update India Attacting More U.S. Travelers Fuel Prices Cost Royal Caribbean Jobs ASTA Celebrates Victory Over Airlines Agent Access Classified Marketplace In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - (Page Coverwrap1) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - (Page Coverwrap2) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 (Page 1) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Online Now (Page 2) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Online Now (Page 3) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 8) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 9) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 10) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 11) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 12) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 13) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Africa (Page 14) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Africa (Page 15) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Africa (Page 16) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Africa (Page 17) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Europe (Page 18) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Europe (Page 19) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Europe (Page 20) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Europe (Page 21) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Europe (Page 22) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Europe (Page 23) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 24) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 25) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 26) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 27) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 28) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 29) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 30) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 31) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 32) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 33) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 34) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 35) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Australia (Page 36) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Australia (Page 37) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Alaska (Page 38) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Alaska (Page 39) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Central & South America (Page 40) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Central & South America (Page 41) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Adventures by Disney comes to Costa Rica (Page 42) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Adventures by Disney comes to Costa Rica (Page 43) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 44) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 45) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 46) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 47) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cruises (Page 48) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cruises (Page 49) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cover Story: Have Food? Will Travel (Page 50) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cover Story: Have Food? Will Travel (Page 51) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cover Story: Have Food? Will Travel (Page 52) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cover Story: Have Food? Will Travel (Page 53) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cover Story: Have Food? Will Travel (Page 54) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Cover Story: Have Food? Will Travel (Page 55) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Air Consolidators (Page 56) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Hotels (Page 57) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Tours (Page 58) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Tours (Page 59) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Gay & Lesbian Travel (Page 60) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Gay & Lesbian Travel (Page 61) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Profile (Page 62) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Profile (Page 63) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Bidding for Business (Page 64) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agenda (Page 65) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Caribbean Update (Page 66) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - India Attacting More U.S. Travelers (Page 67) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Fuel Prices Cost Royal Caribbean Jobs (Page 68) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - ASTA Celebrates Victory Over Airlines (Page 69) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - ASTA Celebrates Victory Over Airlines (Page 70) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Access (Page 71) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Access (Page 72) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Access (Page 73) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Access (Page 74) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Access (Page 75) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Agent Access (Page 76) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Classified Marketplace (Page 77) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - In the Spotlight (Page 78) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - In the Spotlight (Page 79) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page 80) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page Cover3) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page Cover4) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page Coverwrap3) Travel Agent - August 4, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page Coverwrap4)
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