Could local food be your destination’s differentiator?

Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) for Turkey, Malta and Indonesia are focusing on national cuisine to entice new tourists. 

According to the GlobalData Q4 2021 Global Consumer Survey, 47% of respondents said the availability of global cuisines was the most appealing reason to consume food and drink outside of the home, highlighting the global appetite for experiencing new flavours. GlobalData concluded that it’s reasonable to assume that the same sentiment applies to tourists within a destination.

Commenting on the findings, GlobalData associate travel and tourism analyst Craig Bradley said: “DMOs appear to be reacting to a change in traveller sentiment towards gastronomy. Development of this trend has been brought on by the pandemic, which has helped broaden the palates of many tourists despite the closure of many restaurants during 2020 and 2021.

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“Many restaurants needed to adapt to pandemic restrictions to survive, so they started selling meals via food delivery services such as Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats. These services have made international cuisines more accessible to consumers than ever before due to their low-touch service offering, intuitive smartphone apps, and efficient mobile payment systems. As a result, global awareness of alternative international cuisines has increased considerably enabling tourist boards to utilise this in attractive marketing campaigns to entice potential tourists.”

Bradley added: “Tourist boards have recognised an opportunity to use regional cuisine to create original marketing campaigns that can convey local culture within the tourist experience. This will be particularly attractive to niche and millennial tourists, who typically search for more unique experiences.”

For more information, visit www.globaldata.com