Culinary tourism is not a new phenomenon in the gastronomic world. The World Food Travel Association defines it as the deliberate act of “tasting a place to better understand it.” In essence, it is the search for unique and memorable food and drink experiences.
Culinary tourism, however, extends far beyond restaurant visits. It also includes participation in culinary events, local markets, cooking workshops, and regional product tastings. Examples include street food tours, Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market, or Barcelona’s La Boqueria. Culinary tourism also encompasses food festivals – such as Taste of Chicago in the United States or EuroChocolate in Italy – and visits to local producers, such as vineyard tours.
For certain regions, such as France’s wine-growing areas of Burgundy or Aquitaine, culinary tourism constitutes a major source of income for local communities. Yet it is not only specialized regions that benefit from food-motivated visitors. According to the World Food Travel Association (2025), food typically accounts for 15–35% of a tourist’s total expenditure, while local cuisine and its authenticity are increasingly decisive factors in choosing a travel destination.
When a restaurant chooses to serve local or regional cuisine, it ceases to be merely a dining establishment – it becomes an ambassador of its region. The influx of foreign customers brings higher profits, but also greater responsibility. How can a restaurant fulfill the role of a credible representative of its locality?
Municipal governments increasingly partner with restaurateurs who promote regional cuisine, developing joint strategies and programs. One example is Ireland’s Taste the Island, which unites food producers, restaurants, and tourist attractions under a coherent narrative. Within this framework, visitors enjoy traditional dishes, attend workshops, and take part in tasting dinners – activities that significantly boost off-season tourism.
In regions known for specific products – such as Croatia’s Istria, famous for truffles and wine – local restaurants often collaborate to highlight these specialties. They organize festivals, tasting menus, and vineyard dinners. Such partnerships attract culinary tourists from across the world, yielding mutual benefits for the region and its hospitality sector.
Can gastronomy shape a city’s identity? Absolutely. Restaurants that cooperate with local governments and tourism boards can help create a “culinary capital” brand. A notable example is Osaka, Japan – a city now globally recognized as a “food mecca.” The Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau has long promoted the city through its diverse culinary culture, from street food and izakayas to traditional specialties. Gastronomy is so deeply tied to Osaka’s identity that the city’s unofficial motto is kui-dare – “eat until you drop.”
Serving regional dishes alone does not make a restaurant “local” – nor does it guarantee the attention of culinary tourists. What matters most is how the restaurant constructs its menu. A thoughtfully designed menu familiarizes guests with dishes, ingredients, and suppliers, while telling a story about the region itself.
In Bordeaux, for instance, wine lists double as guides to local vineyards and producers, allowing diners to explore the region through its wines. In Slovenia, during the 2021 European Region of Gastronomy initiative, restaurant menus featured symbols of regional landscapes – mountains, coasts, or vineyards – effectively creating a culinary map of the country.
Yet even the best menu requires the right atmosphere. The spirit of a region can be evoked through lighting, music, and tableware. In Georgia, for example, traditional restaurants feature local instruments and polyphonic singing. In Kyoto, restaurants serving kaiseki – a traditional multi-course Japanese meal – use handcrafted tableware made by local artisans, allowing guests to experience the region’s artistic heritage as well as its cuisine.
The benefits of culinary tourism for local economies also directly impact restaurants. Regional tourism offices can send chefs to major international trade fairs – such as Host Milano or Gulfood – to represent their region’s cuisine at national pavilions. Restaurants participating in these events gain exposure, prestige, and the status of “regional ambassadors,” which in turn helps build relationships with importers, distributors, and media outlets.
If a region lacks funds to support such initiatives, restaurateurs can finance their participation independently or apply for public grants. Many European countries, offer funding for international trade fair attendance through local business support institutions.
Government assistance does not end with trade promotion. European funds supporting building renovations, digitalization, and green modernization are also available to businesses in the food service sector. Countries that view culinary tourism as a key revenue source run their own grant programs.
Italy, for instance, offers support through regional Slow Food initiatives and the National Tourism Agency (ENIT) for local trattorias and osterias that preserve traditional cuisine. Denmark operates culinary incubators that help launch restaurants based on local ingredients. In Canada, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership provides grants to restaurants collaborating with local farmers.
Interest in culinary tourism continues to grow. According to IMARC Group’s 2024 report, the global culinary tourism market – valued at USD 1.09 billion in 2024 – is projected to reach USD 4.21 billion by 2033. It is thus one of the fastest-growing segments of the travel industry. As demand for “traditional” sun-and-sand tourism declines, local gastronomy and tourism are becoming ever more interconnected.
Successful examples of this cooperation already exist. In the United States, the Taste of Thomasville event in Georgia is a product of collaboration between local restaurants and the regional tourism office. While restaurants handle promotion and attractions, the tourism office sells tickets for culinary tours and promotes the event. The initiative attracts new visitors – many of whom return to dine long after the event ends.
A European success story is Denmark’s Madens Folkemøde, established through the joint efforts of restaurateurs, local authorities, tourism boards, and food producers. The result is a cohesive and appealing tourism product that promotes gastronomy while strengthening the region’s brand.
Collaboration with influencers can also greatly benefit regional gastronomy – provided the partners are carefully selected.
Beyond culinary experiences, it is crucial to offer influencers engaging activities – such as truffle hunting or pasta-making workshops in Tuscany and Piedmont – to help them create emotionally resonant content about the region’s culinary culture.
Notable examples of successful influencer partnerships include the Singapore Tourism Board, which regularly collaborates with food-focused YouTubers, producing content that reaches millions of viewers. Similarly, Visit Norway achieved measurable success with campaigns introducing influencers to local products like cod and the traditional cheese brunost, which resulted in increased bookings in the featured regions.
Culinary tourism is not only a driver of economic growth – it also fosters emotional connections between visitors and places. Guests who discover a region through its flavors often return, drawn not only by the cuisine but by the memories it evokes.
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