Culinary Travelers

Business travelers long have been lucrative for high-end restaurants, but new research suggests that leisure travelers deserve attention as well.

By Staff -- Restaurants & Institutions, 3/15/2007

Business travelers long have been lucrative for high-end restaurants, but new research suggests that leisure travelers deserve attention as well. A survey conducted for the Travel Industry Association finds that 17% of U.S. leisure travelers have engaged in planned culinary or wine-related activities during trips in the past three years.

Culinary activities are defined as "dining out for a unique and memorable experience," attending cooking classes, visiting farmers markets, gourmet-food shopping or attending food festivals. Wine experiences include visiting wineries or attending wine festivals.

Travelers who seek out culinary experiences tend to spend more overall on trips (averaging $1,194) and devote more than one-third (36%) of their travel budgets to food-focused events. "Deliberate food travelers," for whom culinary experiences are the prime focus of trips, spend even more ($1,271) and direct half their budget to dining.

Resort and hotel operators already are targeting such travelers with new amenities. The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, recently invested $500,000 in a new Culinary Center. Chef de Cuisine Rory Dunaway conducts classes and demonstrations of Mexican and Mayan cooking.

Pleasure travelers "are looking for exceptional and authentic experiences and want to learn something exciting while traveling," says General Manager Luis Marcó.