April 26–Culinary travel, whether it's a grand tour to Italy or a gourmet food-themed cruise, is an increasingly popular preference among vacationers, a new Automobile Club survey reveals.
AAA and the Automobile Club of Southern California estimate that some 22 million Americans expect to take a culinary-focused vacation over the next year.
That represents about 17 percent of the Americans who told AAA last year that they planned to take a vacation in 2017.
While the survey about culinary travel is a first for the Auto Club, the organization has seen anecdotally a much keener interest in travel packages and cruises that are more oriented toward dining and drinking, said Auto Club spokeswoman Marie Montgomery.
"There's definitely an increase in that foodie component of our offerings. whether it's chef demonstrations, cooking classes, or just an overall food-theme vacation like the wine train in Napa Valley or a food-themed California coastal cruise.
"Obviously people want to experience the different sights to see but from our vendors we're seeing them adding a food component, such as a chef coming in and doing a demonstration."
The San Diego Tourism Authority, recognizing the heightened interest in travel customized for foodies, has developed video guides on the local culinary and craft beer scene. And local businesswoman Gina Freize, who owns several Venissimo gourmet cheese shops, is hoping to capitalize on that niche with a gastronomical tour of northern Italy starting late next month that will incorporate plenty of cheese, prosciutto, wine, olive oil, pasta, truffles, and of course, cooking.
In its survey, the Auto Club learned that 75 percent of Americans feel that food and dining are an important part of their travel experiences, and four in five report that they have taken advantage of culinary experiences like touring wineries and distilleries, eating with local families and taking cooking classes led by local chefs.
In a separate survey, 43 percent of AAA travel agents said they had seen a recent increase in the number of members planning food-focused vacations, with most of those being foodie trips to culinary meccas like Italy, France and Spain.
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