The Travel Group

There's a new kid in the block in our industry.  Some refer to it as "culinary tourism," which is pretty self-explanatory.  There have, of course, always been folks whose chief purpose in making a trip was to try out some great restaurants.  With the advent of all the popular food-related reality TV shows, however, culinary tourism is exploding!

And when you think of it, why not?  Food and travel go together naturally.  Travel is about relaxation and adventure - both great reasons why you'd want to go to any good restaurant - whether tried and true or brand new. 

There is more to culinary tourism, however, than just trying out new and unique restaurants.  Other attractions are:

• Experiencing a famous or highly-rated restaurant
• Specialty food shopping
• Visiting farmer's markets, wineries, orchards, food museums
• Sampling local foods and drinks
• Engaging in "agritourism"
• Attending food, wine, beer, harvest festivals

In recent surveys, when vacationers were asked what the main thing they cared about when they travelled was, guess what answer consistently comes up #1 or #2?  Food!  That is right up the alley of many of our agents at The Travel Group.  Not only do we brand ourselves as "foodies", but we too have been making pilgrimages to those great food and wine destinations.

When you think of "food destinations," France and maybe the USA would come to mind.  But getting beyond the obvious stuff, consider some of these places:

• S. Sebastian (Spain), home of some of the most highly-regarded Michelin star restaurants
• Sydney (Australia), often touted - along with Vancouver - as the place where some of the most exciting foods are being created!
• Beijing (China).  Again, along with Vancouver, home of some amazing new Chinese restaurants.
• Cape Town (South Africa) for truly exotic and delicious cuisine
• Buenos Aires (Argentina)
• London (UK).  Yes, this is a shocker, but London now boasts some of the world's most amazing restaurants.
• Las Vegas (USA).  Tacky yes, but many of the world's most famous chefs have a restaurant here.

The same is true for wine and wineries.  While southern France and Napa Valley are the obvious choices, there are absolutely great wineries developing international reputations in places as diverse as the Okanagan region of BC and Prince Edward County in southern Ontario, to New Zealand, Argentina, and Poland. 

As you can see, the possibilities for a unique vacation which satisfies both your craving for great food and adventure are limitless.  This is a great time to be a travel consultant!