Taste of food tourism at WTM

Attendees at this year’s WTM London will hear food tourism experts explain how destinations around the globe can benefit from the current interest in culinary travel experiences.

TT Bureau

A global survey of 50,000 travellers by a popular travel search engine found that more than six in 10 choose a destination for its great food or drink and that more than a third plan to take a dedicated food tourism trip sometime in 2018. Erik Wolf, Founder, World Food Travel Association, is moderating three sessions covering many aspects of a diverse and evolving sector.

‘Food Tourism 2025: What You Need to Know Now’ will take a detailed look at how food tourism will develop in the medium term. Destinations looking to grow their existing footprint or enter the market need to think ahead and ensure standards are set. The session will also look at controversial issues such as the connection between food tourism and overtourism, and growing concern over food waste and plastic. Set to take place on November 6, speakers at the session are Roberta Garibaldi, Professor, Marketing and Tourism Management, University of Bergamo, Italy; Patrick Torrent, Executive Director, Catalan Tourist Board; Maria Athanasopoulou, Owner, Respond on Demand marketing agency; and Udi Goldschmidt, CEO, Jerusalem Culinary Institute.

‘Food Tourism 2025: What You Need to Know Now’ will look at controversial issues such as the connection between food tourism and overtourism

Charlotte Alderslade, Conference and Seminar Manager, WTM London said, “Part of the mission at WTM London is to help the global travel industry keep on top of the trends. Food tourism is an emerging stand-alone sector but it also resonated with other parts of the business. It is part of the living like a local trend, part of the tours and activities growth, has its place at the luxury and budget end of the market and is a truly global phenomenon.”

The specific issue of sustainability in food tourism will be considered in a session with Clare Jenkinson, Senior Destinations and Sustainability Manager, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA). The one-on-one interview, to be held on November 7, will look at the successes of ABTA’s initiatives across many aspects of sustainability and how the lessons learnt can help the food tourism industry.

Many destinations have a local cuisine, but the kingdom of Jordan has incorporated food into its culture through the practice of karam – welcoming guests and even strangers with food and drinks. Dr Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, Managing Director, Jordan Tourism Board will talk about how this creates a positive impact on visitors and how other destinations can use this approach to inspire their own food tourism culture. This session also takes place on November 7.