Traveling Foodies Seek Culinary Experiences as a Way to Understand Culture

As famed traveler and chef Anthony Bourdain once said, “the extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes, or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody.” Plenty of traveling foodies take that advice to heart, prioritizing great meals, drinks, and even snacks on their trips, favoring an authentic culinary experience over familiarity and predictability of a meal that they could get at home.

Since the rise of foodie culture in the 2010s, brands have tried to capture this type of traveler. Understanding their unique priorities and behaviors will help organizations and establishments to better meet the mark.

Culinary travelers see food and drinks as a conduit to culture

On the surface, culinary tourism may not appear to be the strongest travel driver — when asked to identify the top three things that are most important when choosing a leisure travel destination, eating and drinking experiences rank fourth overall, with about one-quarter (26%) of U.S. adults selecting it. However, the top three most important factors are less about specific experiences than they are about the trip as a whole, with price far outweighing any other element, followed by weather and safety. When it comes to more direct comparisons like landmarks, the ability to experience nature or presence of museums, art or historical experiences, foodie trips outweigh them all.

However, that doesn’t mean that culinary travelers are focused on food and beverages alone. When compared with the priorities of the general population, culinary travelers are similarly as likely to say they favor landmarks or famous sites and museums. Where they differ from adults overall is a lower priority placed on some of those whole-trip considerations like price, climate, safety and ease of access. This suggests that culinary experiences fit within an overall cultural approach to travel, where food is one inroad, albeit the most popular, to understanding a destination.

Culinary travelers seek out local specialties they’ve never tried before

Foodie travelers’ focus on understanding culture while traveling is reflected in their eating and drinking preferences. When asked to rank six elements of a culinary experience in order from most to least preferred, this cohort was most likely to put local specialties or dishes at the top: About half (49%) said it was their first or second preference.

They also display a balance of adventure and familiarity, as trying new foods and seeking out specific favorites from past visits were very similar in their ranking. Falling more towards the bottom were renowned restaurants and those recommended by others, as well as foods from home that travelers want to try elsewhere. That’s not to say these things aren’t important — in fact, recommendations are key in pushing travelers to certain locations. But it shows that the food itself is the priority when seeking culinary experiences.

These preferences often lead culinary travelers to seek out different types of restaurants or eateries to whet their foodie whistle. For this group overall, casual or hole-in-the-wall type restaurants are most popular, with more than three-quarters saying they go to these places when traveling “some” or “a lot” of the time. High-end or fine-dining restaurants are less frequented, though men are more likely than women to say they visit these establishments “a lot” in their travels.

Brands and branded content are less effective influences than family and locals

Culinary travelers are more likely than not to wait until they arrive at their destination to plan their meals: 42% search for a restaurant when they’ve arrived to their destination, and 21% don’t plan anything in advance and choose spontaneously when they’re hungry or thirsty. 

Among traveling foodies, the planning timeline is varied, with 19% saying they plan at least a month in advance while 18% do so just a few days before their trip. This suggests that there are multiple points during the path to travel to capture the attention of culinary tourists.

But no matter when they make the decision, most solicit recommendations from at least one resource on where to go for food and drinks. Most culinary travelers turn to people over brands for advice, with friends and family being the most common source of information, followed by locals. After in-person recommendations though, social media is the most popular resource — from brands, connections or influencers.

That’s not to say traditional methods of tourism information are obsolete — 39% of culinary travelers say they use guidebooks “always” or “often” and 38% say the same about tour guides. But it does speak to the importance of personal endorsements when it comes to the all-important eating and drinking occasions.

The tendency of foodie travelers to seek advice from trusted individuals speaks to the importance of word of mouth for establishments in the space who want to drive traffic.