Indian travellers wake up to the idea of culinary tourism, report shows

A food report published by Indian company Godrej Industries highlights increased interest among Indian travellers to discover food across the country and experience culinary culture and cuisine.

The fifth edition of the ‘Godrej Food Trends Report’ published at the end of last year sees Gastronomy tourism becoming a major motivation of travel for the Indian population. Many of them are venturing to discover food and recipes.

India offers tremendous potential when it comes to culinary tourism, thanks to its varied culinary regions and flavour profiles. According to the Godrej Food Trends Report 2022, the rise of gastronomy tourism is a fact. A decade ago, India had little experience with the market for culinary tourism, but today the sector enjoys a boom in gastronomy tourism.

It is not only Indian travellers who are venturing around the country. Tourists from all over the world are coming to India to try authentic Indian cuisine and experience.

Almost 90% of people interviewed in the Godrej Food Trends Report 2022 expect interest to pick-up for travel experiences centred around culinary culture and cuisine across India.

Results from the survey show :

• Culinary tourism – 87.1% of food experts predict people will travel more to experience culinary culture and cuisine. There is higher demand for travel experiences centred around culinary culture and cuisine.
• Food and beverage tours – 67.7% of people believe that food and beverage tours are now in fashion. Many hospitality and tourism businesses have opened themselves up to patrons through food and beverage tours, allowing travellers to take a deep dive into the processes and expertise behind local foods, beverages, and favourite indulgences, as well as get opportunities to taste.
• Food walks – 66.1% of experts see people opting more for city food walks. The panel sees this need to get out and explore resulting in a lot more city food walks as people seek novel experiences closer to home.
• Culinary residency – 35.5% of food experts see a rise in culinary residency . The culinary residency provides an opportunity for chefs, industry professionals and newcomers to refine a food concept. It could be to prepare for a restaurant menu, test recipes, create a new food product, or research a food subject. The individual is hosted, and collaboration between them and other residents and members at the institution is encouraged.
• Food research and exploration– 25.8% of the panel is witnessing people travelling for food research and exploration in food. Travellers are becoming more introspective. This has already begun to manifest, with greater exploration of destinations within the country.

The annual Godrej Foods Trends Report 2022 is a compilation of evolving facets of culinary culture in India.

These insights are based on the opinions of over 200 culinary leaders, including celebrity chefs, home chefs, professional chefs, food bloggers, health professionals, media professionals, mixologists, nutritionists, restaurateurs, sommeliers, food producers, and more.

Article source: https://news.itb.com/topics/gastronomy-wine-tourism/india-tourism/