There’s no better way to explore a place than through its food. With every bite, a destination slowly reveals itself through layer upon layer of smell, taste, and texture, a fusion of senses that offers travellers a deeper, more intimate way of experiencing their surroundings. Food and travel are a natural pairing and — while food tourism is certainly not a new concept — many destinations are actively tapping into a new trend: flavour tourism. As we’ll explore, this phenomenon is helping visitors to forge deeply personal connections to the culture, history, and heritage of a destination, all while building memories of a lifetime via the medium of food and flavour.
Elevating and Expanding the Concept of Food Tourism
For travellers, visiting a place and trying its cuisine — or even building an entire itinerary around local flavours — isn’t a new thing; after all, according to the World Food Travel Association, 53% of leisure travellers describe themselves as “food tourists”. But what’s different in this latest iteration of food tourism is the outright acknowledgement of the interplay between what we eat, where we eat it, and the power that these tastes, textures, and smells have in building the perception of a place within the minds of individual travellers. In fact, at the Scottish Tourism Alliance Signature Conference in March, we at Simpleview noted that many destinations are now placing a deeper emphasis on the importance of food as a vehicle for telling a place’s unique story and for defining its brand.
Alongside this, sustainability now serves as the bedrock of the decision-making process undertaken by visitors as they plan their travels. This process, of course, governs how, when, and what travellers eat, with many now intuitively including local and seasonal offerings into their gastronomic plans. This idea of locality taps right into the trend of flavour tourism, with today’s travellers viewing local tastes — and the traditions and people behind them — as an integral and unique part of their personal experience of a destination. Add to this the rise and increaseof food influencers like Eating with Tod and you have a truly irresistible phenomenon.
Authentic Tastes, Authentic Experiences: How Destinations are Tapping into a Phenomenon
Across the globe, flavour tourism is unfolding in any myriad of ways and here at Simpleview, we know that many of our European clients are eagerly celebrating the foods and flavours that are unique to their destinations, using them to create a visitor experience that is fresh and new, yet deeply authentic. For example, in the New Forest, nature reigns supreme and there’s no better way to experience how the natural world informs everyday life in this part of England than taking part in seasonal foraging for berries, mushrooms, and herbs. Meanwhile, the English county of Sussex has long been famed for its distinct cultural identity and, for the thirsty traveller, this is best experienced via a glass (or two) of one of its outstanding wines. But if beer is more your thing, don’t miss a visit to one of Manchester’s microbreweries, followed by a bite from Mackie Mayor, an iconic market on the edge of the city’s famous Northern Quarter. Nearby Liverpool is of course not to be outdone and if you really want to taste the long-running rivalry between these two cities, head over to Liverpool’s Baltic Market for a huge range of eateries, all based in the iconic Cains Brewery.
The southwest of England certainly doesn’t disappoint when it comes to authentic food traditions and, should you find yourself in Gloucestershire at the right time of year, you can take part in the county’s ancient Cheese Rolling contest, where the winner takes home a wheel of local Double Gloucester (and lots of bruises). This part of the country is famous for its cream teas and pasties, but England’s Seafood Coast — centred on the town of Brixham, where locals have been fishing since Saxon times — is something else. Today, some of the nation’s best seafood is landed at nearby Brixham Fish Market, where eager visitors can take an early morning tour to find out more about their catch and those who land it. And if you’re really into seafood, make for The Outer Hebrides, where pristine waters offer up top-notch langoustines, crab, lobster, and more. For a truly local taste, follow the palates of generations of islanders and feast on peat smoked salmon, sea trout, kippers, and even mussels.
In Norway’s Vestland, Telemark, Viken, and Rogaland regions, even the local fruit comes with a side of history. While the unique climate and long-ripening season makes for delicately sweet apples, pears, plums, and cherries, the lusciousness of the fruit is only enhanced when you know that many of these orchards were planted centuries ago by Vikings and monks. Food and history are likewise deeply intertwined in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia, where museums, mills, and festivals celebrate everything from olive oil, jamon, and sugar. With a little bit of time and curiosity, visitors to the area can appreciate the hard work that goes into breeding the region’s famous Iberico pigs or the love care with which the local olive groves — planted centuries ago by the Moors — are still nurtured.
But if modern food culture is more your thing, Derry is the place to be. Whether you have a hankering for Granda Joe’s cream horns, a sausage roll bap, a load of chips, or just a fancy Tayto Crisp sandwich, this city offers a taste of truly local flavours with a gastronomic nod to the hit series “Derry Girls”.
Food and travel are a natural pairing, with each new journey bringing the opportunity to taste and explore something new, something different. Whatever you like, whatever you fancy, this is a phenomenon that offers a deeper, more authentic way of exploring not just the destinations we visit, but the food culture that has shaped these places and our experience of them.