Culinary tourism or food tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of tourism.[2] It is now considered a vital component of thetourism experience.[3] Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed to rank alongside climate,accommodation, and scenery" in importance to tourists.[3]
France is a country that has been strongly associated with culinary tourism with both international visitors as well as French citizens traveling to different parts of the country to sample local foods and wine.[1]
Overview
Culinary or food tourism is the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences, both near and far. Culinary tourism differs fromagritourism in that culinary tourism is considered a subset of cultural tourism(cuisine is a manifestation of culture) whereas agritourism is considered a subset of rural tourism,[4] but culinary tourism and agritourism are inextricably linked, as the seeds of cuisine can be found in agriculture. Culinary/food tourism is not limited to gourmet food.[1]
Culinary Tourism Around The World
While many cities, regions or countries are known for the their food, culinary tourism is not limited by food culture. Every tourists eats at least three times a day, making food one of the fundamental economic drivers of tourism. Countries like Ireland, The Philippines, and Canada are making significant investment in culinary tourism development and are seeing results with visitor spending and over night stays rising as a result of food tourism promotion and product development.
Enotourism, Oenotourism, Wine tourism, or Vinitourism refers totourism whose purpose is or includes the tasting, consumption or purchase ofwine, often at or near the source.[1]Where other types of tourism are often passive in nature, enotourism can consist of visits to wineries, tasting wines, vineyard walks, or even taking an active part in the harvest.[2]
Typical winery tasting room
Wine museum at Graffigna, San Juan, Argentina
History
Enotourism is a relatively new form of tourism. Its history varies greatly from region to region, but in places such as the Napa Valley AVA, it saw heavy growth once a concerted marketing effort was implemented in 1975 [3] that was given a further boost by the 1976Judgment of Paris.[4]
Other regions, such as Catalonia, Spainhave only started marketing enotourism starting in the mid-2000s, primarily focusing on how it is an alternative form of tourism to the beach for which Spain is overall known.[5]
There was also a rise in the profile of enotourism among English speakers with the 2004 release of the film,Sideways whose two central characters visit wineries and wine in the Santa Barbara region of Southern California.
Currently
The industry around enotourism has grown significantly throughout the first decade of the 21st century. In the United States 27 million travelers, or 17% of American leisure travelers, engaged in culinary or wine-related activities.[6] In Italy the figure stands at approximately five million travelers, generating 2.5 billion euros in revenue.[7]
A private initiative by Recevin [1] holds an annual "Enotourism Day" on the second Sunday of November each year to promote cellar visits in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Portugal.[8] In North America, the first Wine Tourism Day[9]was established for May 11, 2013 with events scheduled throughout the continent.
Cycling through vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina
Activities
Most visits to the wineries take place at or near the site where the wine is produced. Visitors typically learn the history of the winery, see how the wine is made, and then taste the wines. At some wineries, staying in a small guest house at the winery is also offered. Many visitors buy the wines made by the winery at the premises, accounting for up to 33% of their annual sales.[10]
Very small, low production regions such as Priorat, Catalonia focus on small, intimate visits with the owner as the host and include walks through the vineyards to help visitors understand the unique qualities of the region.[11]
More elaborate tastings can includehorizontal and vertical tastings as well as full meals focused upon showcasing the wines.[12]
As the enotourism industry matures, additional activities have been added to visits such as riding electrically assisted bicycles, called, "burricleta".[13]
Future
Most tourism agencies see it as a segment of the industry with tremendous growth potential, stating that in some regions, it's only functioning at 20% of its full potential.[7]
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