Culinary Curiosity

The pursuit of a memorable gastronomical experience has given birth to culinary tourism across the world. With more travellers picking destinations based on their taste buds and cultural curiosity, this cover story explores how India's gastronomic experiences can attract the world traveller

- Saloni Bhatia

Over 118 million real traveller reviews on Booking.com revealed that while choosing their next travel destination, the majority, 75 per cent of global travellers would likely travel somewhere known for its great food and drink. 79 per cent of travellers between the ages of 18 and 34, known as the millennials, consider travelling somewhere that's specifically known for its gastronomic delights. Almost one in 10, eight per cent people have travelled in the last year to fulfill their hobby of fine dining and seven per cent for their passion for wine. Millennials are most keen on seeking out food passions whilst travelling, with one in 10, i.e. 10 per cent combining their love of street food with travelling, compared to only four per cent of those travellers aged over 55. This validates the growing interest of travellers towards destinations which promise to be a foodie's delight.

Speaking about the growing trend of culinary tourism, Rejeev Goyal, founder, India Food Tour, shares, “As per the old Indian mythological saying, you can understand people by their food and therefore it is the best way to explore a country. Moreover, food has always been the spine of the tourism industry but only recently it has taken a front seat. Since it cannot be experienced virtually like other tourism widgets such as monuments, museums or historic sites, it has never been on the agenda for tourism promotion.”