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A challenge many often face when going out to eat at a restaurant is to decide what to pick from the menu. This article explains that there is a scientific reason of why many people have a hard time deciding, the reason is because there is something called “choice overload”.

I want to create a place where a restaurant/café can create their own profile where their menu is included. The concept is to engage costumers to review/rate the food and drinks, this can be used as a tool for other people as they can easily read what is good on the menu.

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You're on your lunch break, standing in the Panera Bread line, staring at the menu, and quite honestly, you're overwhelmed. Should you eat soup for lunch? Or a sandwich? A combination of both? This is your weekly, if not daily struggle, and if you're anything like me, then you frequently become annoyed by your own indecisive tendencies. It should be easy to choose what you want for lunch - just make your selection and eat the damn thing, right? But a new study revealed the truth behind why it's so hard to figure out what to eat day in and day out, and I have some good news for you: it's really not your fault.

First of all, that pesky indecisiveness you feel on the reg about your lunch order has a name: It's called"choice overload," and according to a new study that's been published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, it's basically when your brain is faced with an overwhelming amount of options and therefore struggles to make a decision. Talk about first-world problems, amirite?

According to ScienceDaily, the new study, which was carried out by researchers from the California Institute of Technology, explored the concept of choice overload to figure out what parts of the brain are responsible for the phenomenon,and how many different options the brain can handle when it's tasked with making a decision about something.

For the experiment, ScienceDaily reports, the researchers told their participants they could have various scenic landscapes printed on something, like a coffee mug or a t-shirt. They presented the volunteers with a variety of sets of photos; one set contained six photos, another had 12, and another set had 24 pictures. The participants were tasked with deciding which photo they wanted out of six, 12, or 24 pictures total, depending on which type of set they were randomly given. All the while, researchers measured their brain activity to see what exactly the volunteers' noggins were up to as they arrived at their decisions.

According to ScienceDaily, the researchers identified activity in two different parts of the brain while the participants made their decisions: the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the striatum. Colin Camerer, an author of the study and Caltech's Robert Kirby Professor of Behavioral Economics, said in a statement that the ACC is "where the potential costs and benefits of decisions are weighed," and the striatum is "a part of the brain responsible for determining value," per ScienceDaily.

In addition to identifying activity in these two parts of the brain, Camerer and his team also found that this activity was highest when the participants had 12 photos to pick from. When they had six or 24 options, on the other hand, this brain activity was much lower, according to the research. Camerer explained that this likely means the brain was weighing the potential for a reward (aka a dope coffee mug or t-shirt) against the amount of work it had to do to narrow down a decision. "The idea is that the best out of 12 is probably rather good, while the jump to the best out of 24 is not a big improvement," Camerer said in a statement.

In other words, the amount of effort required to evaluate your options goes up as the number of choices increases, which is why you need a kind of sweet spot between mental effort and potential reward in order to make a confident, definitive decision about something. This isn't to say that 12 is some magic number that applies to every decision-making situation, but the general idea is that, as the number of options increases for a decision, the harder it will be for you to narrow things down and make a choice.

So, whether you're figuring out what to meal-prep for the week, or you're choosing from a huge menu while you're out to lunch, clearly, choice overload can sometimes make it seem impossible to decide what to eat. Not to worry, friends: Lisa Samuels, a registered dietitian and founder of The Happie House, has you covered with a few super simple, relatively healthy options that you can rotate throughout the week to avoid the risk of being slapped in the face by good ol' choice overload.

"For lunches with the highest boost of energy, it's best to make sure you're having a balanced meal, or one that includes a healthy mix of carbohydrate, fat, and protein," Samuels tells Elite Daily over email. "Whole grain carbohydrates not only provide slow and steady bursts of energy, but they also contain a large amount of fiber, which will help keep you fuller for longer and will improve your digestion so your body can make the most of your meals."

Add some healthy fats - think avocados, cheese, nuts, chia seeds, etc. - for flavor and texture, she suggests, and you're good to go.

The RD tells me she loves recommending a simple "bento box" type of lunch to her clients, as she says it allows you to enjoy a variety of flavors and satisfy hunger and cravings "You can include a fruit, small salad, a protein such as hardboiled eggs, tofu scramble, steak, chicken, or anything else you might have a hankering for," Samuels explains. To top it off, she recommends adding a small dose of carbohydrates, such as half of a large sweet potato (or a whole small one), some brown rice, quinoa, or a whole grain roll. "[This] will complete the meal and give you the midday boost you've been looking for," she tells Elite Daily.

If you're in more of a sandwich mood, Samuels tells me she's all about the turkey-avocado-BLT lifestyle, and TBH, I'm drooling. "This sandwich is quick, easy, and delicious," she says. "Top two slices of thick whole grain bread with turkey slices, [half] an avocado, turkey bacon or all-natural uncured bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and a slice or two of your favorite cheese." You can press this sandwich on a waffle iron, Samuels explains, or you can grill it in a pan. Either way, she points out that this lunch is not only delicious, but really easy to prepare and eat on the fly - aka minimal effort on your part.

And for my fellow Chipotle lovers out there, Samuels says a homemade burrito bowl is another simple, tasty option for lunch. "This dish is very easy to make in bulk and will store in the refrigerator for three to five days," she tells Elite Daily. "It's also a great option because you can use any and all leftovers you might have in the fridge, or you can customize it to your taste."

Here's how to make a quick burrito bowl at home, according to Samuels: Using brown rice or quinoa as the base, some optional mix-ins for your burrito bowl include avocado or guacamole, tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, lettuce, and salsa. You can add steak, chicken, tofu, or another protein of your choice to complete the meal. That's it!

"Whether you're a meat-eater, or a complete herbivore," Samuels says, "this recipe can work for you."

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There's A Scientific Reason Why You Can NEVER Decide What To Eat For Lunch

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You're on your lunch break, standing in the Panera Bread line, staring at the menu, and quite honestly, you're overwhelmed. Should you eat soup for lunch? Or a sandwich? A combination of both? This is your weekly, if not daily struggle, and if...

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As luxury culinary is a growing trend it opens up opportunities for Australia to enhance partnership between food and wine and the social aspect the tourism industry. Rather than just focusing on the food, there is an opportunity on developing a luxury experience with a strategy offering entertainment, education, and creativeness.

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After covid happened there has been a boost of technology-based concepts, like online cooking classes where customers have the opportunity to interact with the chef virtually, there is also digital wine tasting. Digital tastings where the costumers can preorder wines which gets delivered to their homes.

Technology is, and will be an important tool for tourism sectors, especially when travel restrictions are in place. The technology the tourism sector is now using allows them to stay in contact with their costumers and motivate them to visit their sites later on.

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The COVID-19 that hit the world in 2020 has affected many sectors. One of the sectors that were greatly affected is the travel and tourism industry. Many travel destinations had to introduce travel restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus. Fortunately, the situation is positively changing in many regions. However, there are still many uncertainties about the pandemic and social distancing restrictions.

Gastronomy Tourism
Gastronomy tourism has also been massively affected by the lack of travel. It is apparent that the gastronomic tourism experience is emotional and physical. It usually entails tasting local food and recipes and participating in other food-related activities. For instance, you could visit food and wine production sites, cooking classes, and food-theme events.

However, with travel restrictions, all these experiences are not possible. In this sense, technology has been used extensively to exploit the tourist experience. For example, there are touch screens and virtual reality and augmented reality in wineries.

These technological innovations boost your pre and on-site visits. As a result, it makes your experience distinct and more valuable hence promoting a dynamic co-operation process. The emerging technology-based concepts in gastronomy tourism include:

Online cooking classes and courses.

Remote partying and social dining.

AR and VR experiences for e-wine and e-food destinations.

Agri-crowdsourcing.

Supportive e-experiences.

Several destinations are exploiting these ideas. They aim to create home-based experiences and virtually engage their customers to inspire them for future visits.
Digital Home-Based Gastronomy Tourism
Technology In The Foodservice Sector
The tourism industry is using technology to create home-based experiences. For example, the temporary closure of restaurants saw the rise of online cooking sessions and tutorials and digital home-dining experiences.

For example, a restaurant in Italy came up with a digital dining concept accompanied by the delivery of traditional foods. The restaurant allows its customers to interact with the chef virtually as he introduces them to recipes. On the other hand, the restaurant staff take the
customers through a digital wine tasting and pairing.

Moreover, there are also travel companies innovating gastronomy tourism. These tour operators have developed virtual food tours. They also make the experience more authentic by offering deliveries from three restaurants to their client's homes.

These virtual tours allow customers to watch and listen to the narratives of local owners, offering them a chance to learn about gastronomic traditions and recipes.

Technology Is Production Sites
There are emerging trends in food technology. In this regard, food and wine production sites have embraced technological innovations to offer distinctive home-based experiences. For instance, wineries are moving towards digital wine tasting.

Digital tasting involves companies explaining to their clients the organoleptic characteristics of each wine. This shows how technology has offered these companies a different way of engaging their clients.

The social distancing restrictions have also seen innovations developed years back turn into a great success. The production sites have also partnered with media services to spice up their digital experiences. For instance, they accompany the digital tasting with music that inspires wine and its flavors.

Gastronomic Events
The social distancing restrictions have massively affected events around the world. Individuals can no longer gather physically in one place. As a result, food and wine festivals companies have begun thinking about restructuring their formats using technology.

Event organizers have teamed up with food and wine companies to enable participants to celebrate gastronomic events remotely. For instance, some companies use channels such as Facebook live services to host live tasting events with participants.

If you are into food tourism and can't travel to Italy or your favorite food tourism destination, you should start looking online for events. The events also allow participants to pre-order foods and wines which are delivered to their homes.

What Does The Future Hold?
There are new opportunities created by the use of technology in gastronomy tourism. Technology has become instrumental in the tourism sector, especially in a season where travel restrictions are in place.

In this regard, suppliers of gastronomy tourism such as wineries, farms, restaurants, and event organizers struggle to come up with home-based experiences. These experiences enable the suppliers to maintain relationships with their clients and motivate them to visit their sites later.

The suppliers are now using live guided tasting, online cooking classes, and virtual tours to overcome the current challenges. Other interventions include remote social eating and drinking. So, will these interventions last past the social distancing period?

Well, some experts argue that some of the interventions could have a permanent impact on gastronomy tourism. For example, suppliers will shift from thinking about products and services and focus more on the whole experience. This approach will allow them to consider how
technology can change the tourism ecosystem.

Additionally, gastronomy tourism suppliers will also have to engage travelers in the process of designing and developing remote experiences. In the end, the gastronomy tourism industry will be totally different once the COVID-19 dust settles.

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Reinventing the future of gastronomy tourism

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The COVID-19 that hit the world in 2020 has affected many sectors. One of the sectors that were greatly affected is the travel and tourism industry. Many travel destinations had to introduce travel restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus. Fortunately, the situation is positively changing in many regions.

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I included this article because it talks about discovering Indigenous cuisines and experiences. Australian chef Mark Olive talks about how eating kangaroo has become an accepted part of Australian cuisines and can be shown in more and more restaurant menus. He shows his interest on the impact of the benefits of including kangaroo as a part of the Australia’s native ingredients.

The article also mentions Australian’s history and legacy, it talks about that Aboriginal culture is more than just one culture. Aboriginal people exist in every part of Australia and wish to open their door for the world to experience the food and culture.

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Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

At first, I was a little taken aback at the thought of eating kangaroo. But Skippy, as chef Mark Olive playfully calls it, has become an accepted part of Aussie cuisine.

He champions the meat as environmentally friendly but also healthy as it's low in fats and high in iron and protein. It is showing up more and more on restaurant menus Down Under and he assures us it's tasty if you can get your head around eating the country's national emblem.

"We have a real problem here that we don't use a lot of our indigenous meat.... People say kangaroo is very gamey. I don't find it so. Kangaroo are being farmed here now. Wallabee too," says the chef known in Australia as the Black Olive during a virtual cooking class of kangaroo bolognese. Here in Canada, we had to substitute ground beef as there was no kangaroo to be had at any local grocery store.

"Kangaroos are very special animals; they're high in protein, very high in iron, low in fats and very lean... It is a lovely meat."

Olive was imparting the benefits of kangaroo as part of an online demonstration to highlight some of Australia's native ingredients such as kangaroo and the aromatic bush tomato, which is usually dried and ground into a spice and was traditionally used by Aboriginal people to heal certain ailments.

Originally trained by an Italian chef, Olive has been cooking for more than 25 years. He had his own television series, the Outback Cafe, and has hosted, cooking and travel events around the world. He's also been a celebrity judge and chef on several TV shows. Now he works with Tourism Australia at cultural events around the world to showcase Indigenous foods and culture.

"It's been a tough year but one of the things that has kept people together is food. And we have amazing cuisine here in Australia. Something like this simple bolognese, I find, breaks the gap and introduces native foods and spices to the world."

He says Australia has interesting native foods like the bush tomato, the saltbush which has a salt flavour but not the amount of potassium, and sea parsley, which is extremely high in Vitamin C. "The aromatics are amazing and the benefits are too."

Olive is working with Tourism Australia to promote its Discover Aboriginal Experience, a collective of 185 authentic Aboriginal tourism offerings.

"Nowhere else in the world can quite claim the legacy like us in Australia. We have the oldest living culture dating back over 60,000 years and that truly sets us apart from any other country in the world... It's important to note straight up that Aboriginal culture isn't just one culture. For example, there's still over 120 different dialects spoken," said Tourism Australia's Nicole Mitchell.

"We have 185 experiences in the collective like this one with Mark. There's something for everyone whether a foodie lover or someone after adventure. The standout thing about the collective is all the experiences are guided by Aboriginal people. So the people who own these stories are sharing the stories.

"Every part of Australia has Aboriginal people and we want to open that door .... to the world."

Mitchell says one of the tourism trends they are seeing, whether a result of the pandemic or just changing appetites for experiential travel, is people looking for a connection to the land, as well as less crowded destinations.

"One of the things front and centre is people are looking for and people are coming to Australia looking for wellness and retreats. They're coming here for the natural herbs and spices for healing."

Olive said many of the experiences connect food with the land such as a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, where an Indigenous guide gives people insight into the fruits, vegetables and spices that make food work. Other trips he recommends are swimming in waterholes near Port Douglas or walking the beaches and mangroves in Queensland with a guide looking for mud crabs which you then cook over an open fire.

"Australia has a lot to offer tourism-wise with flavours, culture, stories and people. Indigenous people want to share these with you. It's the best thing we could do in these pandemic times."
Indigenous experience highlights

Dale Tilbrook is an expert on Indigenous bush foods and is in high demand as a chef and educator as far away as Italy.

Koomal Dreaming provides an opportunity for visitors to experience Wadandi and Bibbulmun country. Guests can taste native foods, learn about bush medicine, and meet the animals, plants and Dreaming spirits that have enriched the lives of the indigenous Wadandi and Bibbulmun people.

Pot to Plate Adventure will have you joining Bundjalung Nation descendant Luther Cora, 'The Black Cockatoo', and their professional crabber on the unique four-hour adventure. Learn about the region's past as Luther and the crabber take you into the heart of mudcrab
headquarters, the Terranora Lakes mangrove system. Bamboo spears are provided as you wade through the mangroves to hunt for mud crabs, stingrays and fish which will be cooked on a bonfire as you enjoy stories and didgeridoo playing.

Spirits of the Red Sand is a roving theatre experience in Queensland that re-enacts a series of true events at a time when western
settlers claimed Aboriginal land. The roving drama experience is thought to be the first of its type in the Indigenous tourism world. Performed in a 19th-century historical village in Beenleigh, halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the focus of the attraction is on education using entertainment as the medium.

Explore ancient rock art sites offering profound insights into Dreamtime stories or take part in artist-led workshops in contemporary art practice.

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Australia looks to lure tourists with Indigenous cuisine and experiences

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Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. At first, I was a little taken aback at the thought of eating kangaroo. But Skippy, as chef Mark Olive playfully calls it, has become an accepted part of Aussie cuisine.

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Culinary tourism gives us entertainment and full stomachs; however, it also gives us meaningful encounters and experiences.

In this article they talk about the benefits that comes of culinary tourism. It mentions the benefit of developing awareness, both social and cultural, it shows travelers the true culture and society of a country.

Culinary tourism is beneficial by providing opportunities for minority groups, this helps to strengthen the biodiversity and protect the cultural heritage. Additional to those benefits, culinary also contributes to the development of local stores and restaurants. By providing culinary tourism in more destinations, will prevent overcrowding by distributing tourist.

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With such a broad scope of activities, food tourism benefits go far beyond providing entertainment and pleasing our palates. Food tourism (also know as gastronomy tourism or culinary tourism) is a pathway to meaningful experiences that people do not usually participate in daily but are willing to do so while traveling.

These experiences have a lasting positive effect because most people seek to incorporate these learnings into their own lives upon returning home. These are experiences and learning through the uniqueness of the regional food culture and the destination's biodiversity that can intensify the connection between people and food and generate a lasting and remarkable memory for the tourist.

But the benefits of food tourism do not concentrate only on tourists. A well-developed and structured experience can benefit the entire community and the environment.

Also read: Community Based Tourism, an immersive travel experience

Check out the main benefits of Food Tourism

Develops social and cultural awareness, connects tourists with the destination at different levels of society;

Distributes and generates additional income along the product value chain;

Provides inclusion and opportunities for minority groups;

Enhances biodiversity and preserves cultural heritage;

Contributes to a broader development of local communities, fosters entrepreneurship;

Mitigates rural exodus and generates pride in own customs, history, and traditions;

Reduces regional asymmetry, disperses tourists to more locations in the country;

Works in harmony with seasonality, diversify the tourist offer throughout the year in a more sustainable way.

Engaging in food tourism contributes to more responsible and sustainable tourism that benefits both travelers and residents. However, food tourism also faces challenges. As a traveler, it is important to be conscious in choosing the activities we want to support and position ourselves according to ethical and moral values, such as avoiding activities that harm the environment or using animal abuse.

Now, if you want to learn how to travel for food, you might be also interested in:

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Why Food Tourism Benefits Should Reach Beyond The Tourist

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With such a broad scope of activities, food tourism benefits go far beyond providing entertainment and pleasing our palates. Food tourism (also know as gastronomy tourism or culinary tourism) is a pathway to meaningful experiences that people do not usually participate in daily but are willing to do so while traveling.

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Personally, local food and drinks is a big factor when I am trying to decide where my next holiday, as food and drinks can be a tool to better understand the countries culture and heritage. I know that I am not alone on this thought, that is why I have included this short article.

It gives an overview of how culinary tourism has long been popular and is constantly growing. Today’s tourists are looking to experience more than just cooking classes and fancy restaurants, this gives travel advisors and tour operators many opportunities to find creative ways to satisfy tourists craving of new experiences.

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Skift Take

The appetite for culinary tourism is growing, sparking demand for experiences beyond cooking classes and dining in Michelin-starred restaurants. Travel advisors and tour operators need to seek out new and inventive ways to satisfy what clients crave.

For many travelers these days, local food experiences are taking precedence over museums and iconic landmarks. Making pasta with an Italian grandmother in Calabria or breaking bread with a family in their centuries-old farm in Portugal are the preferred ways to connect with a destination.

What's behind the expanding - and deepening - interest in culinary tourism? Along with a desire for engaging experiences, travel experts credit the plethora of food and travel shows, along with the craze for posting foodie pics on social media.

Needless to say, feeding the growing demand for creative culinary experiences presents tremendous opportunities for travel advisors and tour operators. There are challenges as well, particularly in finding new options in well-worn tourist areas. Another is that lesser-known destinations offering first-rate food discoveries may not also have the accommodations and other infrastructure to match.

For more coverage of pertinent issues, click here.

Any suggestions for the coverage you would like to see are welcome. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] .
- Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor
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Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [[email protected] ] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email. Sign up for the Free Skift Travel Advisor Newsletter

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Travel Advisors Face Challenges as Food Tourism Matures

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The appetite for culinary tourism is growing, sparking demand for experiences beyond cooking classes and dining in Michelin-starred restaurants. Travel advisors and tour operators need to seek out new and inventive ways to satisfy what clients crave. For many travelers these days, local food experiences are taking precedence over museums and iconic landmarks.

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This article gives an insight to the different trends in culinary tourism, and why these are growing trends.

One of the trends that is mentioned is authentic experiences, people are today enjoying more food that is cooked local, food that comes from markets, food halls and local residents’ home. By experiencing local food and drinks gives tourist the opportunity to engage with locals, see how local families interact while cooking and eating together. By giving tourist authentic experiences can give an impact on choosing more local food tours rather than fancy restaurant. Also having the chance to choose local cooking classes and food tours gives tourist a more focus on sustainability, that is also a trend that has been growing, as well as waking an interest in how the local ingredients are grown, harvested and cooked.

In addition to these trends there is a also a trend of sharing experiences, most of us like to take pictures of shareable elements like pictures of our food and the view of the restaurant. These images can influence people through social media to want to travel to that destination.

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Culinary tourism is one of travel's biggest trends. The World Food Travel Association reports that 93% of leisure travelers "participated in a unique food or beverage activity while traveling in the last two years." As the idea of traveling to experience other regions' food becomes more common, food tourism trends are changing. The latest culinary tourism trends encourage travelers to experience all their destination has to offer.

1. Authentic Experiences

People from all over the world relate to the experience of a good meal. Food tourism today focuses on authentic culinary experiences. Rather than jet to longtime foodie havens like Italy or France, travelers are heading to locations such as the Philippines, Australia and South Africa for authentic regional dishes.

Instead of making reservations at fine dining establishments, these food fanatics are enjoying fare from markets, festivals, food halls, street vendors and even local residents' homes. When culinary tourists opt for sit-down meals, they're looking for dishes with local ingredients that were prepared in house.

2. Sharable Elements

Picture-perfect food is one way destinations draw social media-savvy tourists. Beautiful dishes, served in stunning locations and paired with sharable experiences, are a food tourism trend that continues to influence travelers.

3. Hands On Meals

Cooking classes and food tours are a great way to spend an evening in almost any destination. These experiences exist in many different forms; finding the right one for your trip shouldn't be difficult. Hands on meals introduce local ingredients and regional techniques you won't learn while dining in a restaurant. Tours led by locals introduce travelers to eateries they otherwise may not have found.

4. Sustainable Food Tourism

Just as sustainability is a focus in other elements of travel, it is now trending in food tourism as well. Travelers are interested in visiting restaurants that cook with seasonal ingredients sourced locally. It is also possible to take food sourcing tours, to see for yourself how regional ingredients are grown, harvested, transported and cooked.

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4 Trends Changing Food Tourism for the Better | The Travel Team

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Culinary tourism is one of travel's biggest trends. The World Food Travel Association reports that 93% of leisure travelers "participated in a unique food or beverage activity while traveling in the last two years." As the idea of traveling to experience other regions' food becomes more common, food tourism trends are changing.

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Culinary Tourism is a big business and is a growing market. With a big market comes many competitors, therefore a challenge to create a platform with the right investors. Challenges like this is known to Hugo Palmer, founder of a platform of Food&Tours. He talks about the hardship of creating a technological platform with limited resources and investors.

To evolve the company has to make big sales and expand, this can be a complicated task to do since the resoruces is limited and with a big marked, Food&Tours are looking at competitors like Trip Advisor, who is a known global.

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As part of our 'Gap in the Market' series, we've been taking a closer look at different sectors of the travel industry. Each post outlines a potential niche that might be ripe for a new marketplace, crunches some of the numbers, and looks ahead to what could be in store for the future. Today we're delving into the wonderful world of food tourism...

Foodie travel has become big business, and cuisine is quickly becoming a key driver for food-conscious (no, not couscous) tourists. And as the culinary-curious continue to flock to tasty destinations around the world, whole markets are beginning to develop to cater for their every desire: Wine tastings, street food tours, morning market expeditions, cookery classes, fine dining in the home of your favourite chef - the list goes on and on. And so do the potential business opportunities.

When you think about it, the rise of food tourism makes a lot of sense. In a travel industry where many tourists venture thousands of miles and end up with all the same old home comforts, food and drink offer inescapable and total authenticity. It's a way to truly connect with a destination and its culture, not just a fantastic way to spend an evening!

Perhaps more so than other sectors in the travel industry, food tourism has that extra ability to entice. Indeed, one thing fuelling its rapid rise is the wave of social media content that gives so many food tourism operators free publicity. ( I'll take your tweet of tapas in Manchester and raise you an Instagram of paella lovingly stirred by a Michelin-starred chef in the heart of Valencia - or something like that...) As Skift's 2015 report on the subject pointed out:

Every traveller today has the ability to digitally share their culinary experiences with friends and strangers around the world, fuelling a veritable social media arms race to determine who has the most unique food and beverage experiences.

It's an arms race! Who can post the most appetising Crème brûlée?

This notion that social media is having a tangible impact on the food tourism market is more easily understood alongside another trend concerning the kind of trips that the next generation, those pesky millennials, want to go on. As well as being the most active generation on social media, millennials have a special relationship with food and drink - even more so going forwards. This is arguably for three reasons:

They crave authenticity

Young people today are all about being real. The closer they can get to the source of something, the more comfortable they are with buying into it. So when it comes to food, they want to know how it was produced and who by - two cravings that are easily satisfied by many food tour companies promoting local produce.

In theory, taking a look at millennial travelers' preferences today should give us an indication of what will become mass-market trends five years from now. Those millennials have totally embraced the sharing economy and online bookings, and standard hotels for independent accommodation - so why expect any different as their tourism is increasingly determined by food glorious food?

Millennials' purchasing power is on the up

Boom. Purchasing power. According to Skift's research report " The Rise of the Millennial Traveler," the purchasing power of millennials is 0 billion per year and growing. And what drives this spending? According to Skift's research, it's "happiness, passion, diversity, sharing and discovery". Croissant, anyone?...

They want to go deeper

This is pretty similar to the authenticity point, but perhaps takes it one step further.

As well as getting an authentic taste of a destination, immersive travel experiences are becoming all the rage. Plenty of travellers now want to live, eat and drink like a local. Websites such as EatWith offer opportunities to do exactly that. It's kind of like AirBnB, but you drink wine and eat with strangers as they tell you about their city. You're like the long-lost relative they never knew they had. But for one night only!

This idea of going deeper also links nicely with the social media furore around food tourism. Travellers want to share their experiences more than ever, especially when those experiences illustrate what a place is really like. Food manages to unlock that door.

There's more to the food tourism wave than hungry millennials

Aside from the millennial-driven hunt for authenticity, it's also a fact that our attitude towards food is changing more generally.

A report by the American Journal of Tourism Management released in 2013 argued that the growth of food tourism is because people are looking at food more as a pleasure than a necessity. "People spend much less time cooking, but choose to pursue their interest in food as part of a leisure experience," they said. In countries such as Italy and Spain where food tours are increasingly popular, dining experiences have always been about social interaction just as much as what's on the plate. Maybe the rest of us are just starting to catch up?

But although millennials will undoubtedly have a big say on food tourism going forwards, at the moment the market is dominated by those who are a little bit older. Take a look at Foodie&Tours' (more on them later) infographic below.

An infographic on the food tour industry from Foodie&Tours

Plenty of interesting points to be taken from those statistics. First of all, our theory that social media has a big part to play is confirmed by the fact that last year, 63% of foodie travellers took and shared photos of their edible conquests.

Second, only 22% of food tourism was marketed online. That's a whopping 78% that wasn't, and a huge amount of potential for online marketplaces untapped as a result.

In conversation with Hugo Palomar, founder of Foodie&Tours

In a move away from the norm, this week we've been speaking to a man who has plenty of experience in food tourism, having set up his own food tour marketplace in Barcelona, Spain. Hugo Palomar is the founder and CEO of Foodie&Tours, which now offers tasty food and drink-focused tours in five countries across Europe. The company is planning a global expansion to offer tours in over 40 destinations worldwide, so it's fair to say that they are on the up.

First up, I asked Hugo about the motivation behind his food tour marketplace. "The project began because we detected that there was a market opportunity in the travel industry," he said. "There was no reference for gastronomic tourism online. Two of my great passions are travel and gastronomy, and we believed we could create a successful platform."

Foodie&Tours offer a variety of gastronomic trips throughout Europe

Hugo and his team are striving to become a global leader in the field of gastronomic tourism, and although that's now a realistic prospect, there have been challenges along the way.

"The biggest challenge," says Hugo, "has been to create a technological platform and a team with very limited resources." Like any startup, "We need dreamers, as well as investors who believe in the project to finance us. Part of the strategy of the company is to grow in terms of resources without jeopardizing our future viability. Taking forward steps is complicated because our company needs a big sales volume to expand, but gradually we are getting there."

When you create a company like ours and realise that your competitor is a global monster, you have to adapt your strategy." - Hugo Palomar, Founder of Foodie&Tours

It's clear that sometimes it's important to take things slowly and progress at a steady rate, instead of reaching beyond your limits. Palomar says that the main factor to affect the growth of Foodie&Tours has been dealing with limited resources, not to mention the fact that his company is competing with Trip Advisor, which he describes, fairly, we'd suggest, as "a global monster."

"The main factors [affecting growth] are the resources that are dedicated to the growth of the company. The second is the ability to grow in destinations when competing on channels to attract traffic and sales with the likes of Trip Advisor. When you create a company like ours and you realise that your competitor is a global monster, you have to adapt your strategy."

Tapas in San Sebastian

After a strong start in the food tourism market, is there anything that Hugo would do differently if given the chance again? He points out that the lessons learned on the journey can be just as important as growth itself. "We did a lot of things at the beginning that we would not do now," he says. "But the important thing is not so much what we would do, but that we have learned to realise this, and how the team reacts. This is a project that only succeeds with highly-motivated people working together - this is the key!"

Looking forwards, the future looks bright for Foodie&Tours, along with any other startups that decide to aggregate food tourism providers across national borders.

"I sincerely believe that foodie tourism is a market with a high growth," he says. People and travellers want to live real experiences, and there is nothing better than to live those experiences through food, drink, traditions and customs of the land."

Hugo predicts that more and more local operators will start to spring up and offer food-related activities. He also suggests that larger, umbrella companies with the right technology will be able to build franchise systems connecting thousands of entrepreneurs together. One thing's for sure: food tourism is here to stay, and Foodie&Tours are well ahead of most of the competition.

If all this talk of culinary delights has given you an appetite, check out the Foodie&Tours website to find a food tour near you.

Thinking about starting your own marketplace for food tourism?

That's pretty much what we do. Having successfully built Iceland's leading travel marketplace, we're offering up our software solution to ambitious entrepreneurs with a passion for tourism. Our marketplace solution is packed with features to help you get up and running in no time at all, and you'll be backed the whole way by our knowledgeable and experienced team.

Travelshift software offers a community-driven platform that allows you to manage your sellers, their inventory, content marketing, and all transactions in a single, easy-to-use solution. All you have to do is choose your travel niche, attract vendors to your marketplace and go. Interested? Get in touch with us today to find out more.

In the meantime, here are a few insider tips for making an impact in food tourism

Work with a local network to create experiences that will sell

Once you've established a local network of operators, co-create new experiences to fill the gaps and make the most out of the destination. Meals, tastings, cooking classes, educational trips and entertainment can all be combined with accommodation to build up a series of dynamic products that will appeal to a wide range of visitors.

Social media promotions go a long way, especially when combined with different sectors

As we've already seen, social media is particularly powerful in an evocative travel sector such as food tourism. Expanding an already extensive reach can be done by simply scheduling tours that cover more than one base. Why not combine food with culture, appealing to a larger audience that wouldn't necessarily choose to do one excursion exclusively. Reaching beyond the die-hard foodie type is vital if you want to see real growth.

Engage and inspire with quality imagery

Pictures say a thousand words, but they can also taste good. Your food tour business will live and die by how appealing your products are to browsing customers. Promotional campaigns have to be immersive and inspiring, with bold and professional photography. This kind of content is a sure way to encourage organic engagement.

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Gap in the Market Volume 7 - Food Tourism - Travelshift

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As part of our 'Gap in the Market' series, we've been taking a closer look at different sectors of the travel industry. Each post outlines a potential niche that might be ripe for a new marketplace, crunches some of the numbers, and looks ahead to what could be in store for the future.

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New ways to order and deliver food is constantly evolving. Although it is here to stay, many customers are aware of the commission fees that comes with ordering food through apps makes their ordering habits to switch to a more personal contact with the restaurant as this gives them more experiences than just food.

Another trend that is evolving is cuisines from Southeast Asia and Korea, also it is expected that there will be a more interest in Native Australian ingredients. After the pandemic, people are eager to spend more money on fine dining and luxury ingredients.

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From the role of technology and the death of brunch, to Filipino food and native botanicals, these are the food trends Seasoned Traveller expects to see in 2022.

It might seem counterintuitive to write about food trends when we are living in such uncertain times, but regardless of the environment we find ourselves in, people always have to eat. Both what we consume and what chefs put on the plate - or in takeaway containers - form the basis of these 15 Australian food trends to watch out for in 2022.

1. The Rise & Rise of Technology

Staff shortages are the hospitality industry's greatest challenge at the moment. Until it's affordable and easy for international students and workers to return to Australia, technology will fill in the gaps and even make some jobs redundant. Expect more QR codes for menus and ordering, and even conveyer belts and robots replacing staff (you can already see them in action at Kata Kita and Yoi's Indonesian in the CBD).

2. Ghost Kitchens

Dark kitchens or ghost kitchens are restaurants that exist without a brick-and-mortar shopfront. In some instances, restaurants have chosen not to reopen their doors and adopt this model. In others cases, concepts are launching for the first time and sticking to online only.

3. Chefs without Restaurants

Despite promise and enthusiasm, it remains an incredibly tough and uncertain climate for hospitality. As a result, many chefs will turn to venue alternatives. Think launching product ranges (a la Tom Sarafian's hummus and toum) and takeovers (Mischa Tropp's Elsie's summer fling at Tuck's and Harry Mangat's Biji Dining residency at Avani Winery).

4. Delivery & Meal Boxes

Restaurants pivoted to delivery and meal boxes when they couldn't open for dine in. Out of lockdown, the focus returned to the dine-in customer. As a result, it's now trickier to find the same level of delivery and takeaway. Businesses like Providoor are here to stay, but expect quality and variety of food delivery to ebb and flow in sync with COVID uncertainty and case numbers.

Customers are also more aware of hefty restaurant commission fees from apps like Uber Eats, Deliveroo and DoorDash, prompting ordering habits to shift towards direct contact with the restaurant.

5. Experiential Dining

With borders likely to open and close throughout 2022, people will look to dining out as an opportunity for an experience, not just a meal. Expect more pop-ups and unique, personal dining experiences (such as Chae's new venue in Cockatoo following the success of her six-seat Korean restaurant in her Brunswick apartment), and increased demand for them.

6. The Death of Brunch & Reduced Hours

Cafes and restaurants that previously offered brunch will open later and skip mornings. You can also expect restaurants to open fewer days of the week. The numbers don't add up with staff costs, and many punters are increasingly bored with avocado and poached eggs.

7. Heritage on a Plate

Unless you're First Nations, everyone in Australia is from someplace else. It's one of our country's greatest culinary advantages. Young chefs who are the kids and grandkids of migrants will continue to open venues that revisit their roots in a modern Australian context, using local ingredients. Think Manze in North Melbourne (Mauritian) and Chibog in West Footscray (Filipino).

8. Lesser-Known Southeast Asian Filipino & Korean

The trending cuisines for 2022 will go beyond the Southeast Asian food many Australians already know and love, such as Thai and Vietnamese food, and spotlight cuisines such as Filipino, set to be the cuisine of the year. John Rivera has kicked it off with Kariton Sorbetes in Footscray, followed by Ross Magnaye's upcoming Filipino CBD restaurant, Serai.

Also expect to see more Korean restaurants landing locally, propelled by the ever-rising Korean Wave, known as Hallyu, which refers to the increasing popularity of Korean culture (think everything from K-Pop to TV shows such as Squid Games).

9. Sustainability to the Front

We've been talking about sustainability for a while now, but 2022 will see it gain even more attention. Spurred by the reliance on takeaway and delivery during Australian lockdowns, operators are more aware of food waste and storage than ever. Sustainable packaging is also a deciding factor for many consumers who are shopping locally and skipping big supermarkets, while we can also expect to see a rise in edible crockery, such as coffee cups from Melbourne-based Good Edi, made with oats and grains.

10. TikTok Food Trends

Restaurants can expect more people to "discover" them through TikTok recommendations. TikTok flourished during the pandemic and had more traffic than Google in 2021, according to a ranking by Cloudflare. This extends to TikTok cooking, eating and recipe trends. Some of the big ones over 2021 included feta pasta, pesto eggs, fufu, nature's cereal and birria tacos.

11. Trending Ingredients Native Australia, Mushrooms & Plant-Based Chicken

In 2022, expect to see Australian ingredients become commonplace on menus. Accessible Aussie ingredients such as saltbush, pepperberry, lemon myrtle and wattleseed will pop up everywhere from brunch to cocktails, spearheaded by restaurants such as Big Esso and Mabu Mabu.

People will become more familiar with different varieties of mushrooms, as they watch documentaries such as Fantastic Fungi, stay closer to home and forage, gain access to various colours of oyster mushrooms and experiment with others for the first time, such as lion's head.

While plant-based burger patties have cemented their popularity in Australia (including the recently introduced Impossible Burger from America), plant-based chicken will start to pop up in 2022.

12. Comfort Food & Nostalgia

Retro food, whether aspic dishes from the '50s or fairy bread inspired-desserts that nod to the '80s, will mingle with the modern in 2022 as people cling to simpler times in the midst of the pandemic. The same goes for comfort food: we are not yet done with sandwiches, lasagne and pies.

13. Drink Trends Booze-Free, Seltzers & Aussie Ingredients

Craft, boozeless drinks will again rise in popularity, leading to a much larger selection beyond alcohol-free beer, wine and mock spirits. Expect the trends of the last couple of years to merge into one, namely alcohol-free drinks and pre-bottled cocktails.

Seltzers will continue to boom, leading to a wider range of flavour options. Along with lime, watermelon and similar, you'll spot aromatics such as makrut lime and Native Australian ingredients, like kakadu plum. On that note, expect more Native Australian ingredients distilled into gins and spirits: think green ants, quandong and more.

14. Fine Dining & Luxury Ingredients

After Omicron peaks around mid February, anticipate a rise in the number of fine dining restaurants that open in 2022, along with a boom in luxury ingredients such as caviar and fine wine. Those who can afford to will be eager to spend big at restaurants, the same way people have done after past crises; think 9/11 and the GFC.

15. Trolley Service

As a way to increase spend, more restaurants will introduce a trolley service to supplement their menus. This might include cocktails, late-night dumplings and snacks, dessert spreads or caviar bumps - each designed for people to order and enjoy spontaneously.

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From the role of technology and the death of brunch, to Filipino food and native botanicals, these are the food trends Seasoned Traveller expects to see in 2022. It might seem counterintuitive to write about food trends when we are living in such uncertain times, but regardless of the environment we find ourselves in, people always have to eat.

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I want to create an easy searching and direct booking tool for different “undiscovered” small businesses who offers experiences like native cooking classes, native storytelling and food and wine tours. The focus is to promote native and cultural experiences, that is why I have included this website that shows many different native and cultural experiences that is offered everywhere in Australia.

It shows many different and almost "unknown" things to do, like visiting a pearl-farm, go hunting with locals, how to make Aboriginal tools and fires and the list goes on.

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Aboriginal culinary experiences - Tourism Australia

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Embark on guided bush tucker walks, experience sophisticated outback dining, try your hand at traditional hunting and more.

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Personally, when I am traveling to a new place, I like to do some research about what to see and where to eat, and usually I either go on TikTok or Instagram. These platforms are a good place to get suggestions on where to eat as it shows pictures and videos of a restaurant and their menus, also often with a review of different cuisines. That is why I decided to include this article about different food influencers on Instagram.

The idea is to create a platform/function on my website/app where there is easy access to many different food blogs. I want it to be possible for people to be able to communicate with the bloggers and other people. A platform where it is possible to talk about their own experiences.

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Here at Food Inbox we're always looking to instagram for food inspiration and recommendations. Check out some of our favourite foodie influencers in Sydney right now!
@thefoodinbox
You didn't think we'd write a foodie influencer list and leave ourselves off, did you?! We might not have an enormous following, but we've cultivated an engaged foodie community! We love posting drool-worthy reels, interacting with our followers, and sharing helpful reviews for eating around Sydney.

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Sydney's Best Instagram Food Influencers | Food Inbox

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@thefoodinbox You didn't think we'd write a foodie influencer list and leave ourselves off, did you?! We might not have an enormous following, but we've cultivated an engaged foodie community! We love posting drool-worthy reels, interacting with our followers, and sharing helpful reviews for eating around Sydney.

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Challenges: Australia - culinary capital 

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Challenges: Australia - culinary capital 

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Australia has the opportunity to become a spot for culinary tourism, however one of the challenges to face is defining and understanding what Australia’s food culture is and what makes their dishes eccentric to other countries. Australia is a popular country to visit, this has made them a diverse country offering many different cuisines, both modern and traditional dishes.

Being a diverse country makes it challenging for Australia to express their food culture while support the broad and multiple heritage and indigenous history.

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A food museum could put Australia firmly on the global food tourist map but defining our food culture will be a challenge, according to Edith Cowan University researcher Dr Eerang Park.

From Sweden's Disgusting Food Museum to the Netherlands' Dutch Cheese Museum, countries all over the world are increasingly capitalising on the lucrative food traveller market.

Around 53 per cent of holidaymakers are food travellers.

According to tourism expert Dr Park, food travel could be a golden opportunity for Australia when international travel resumes post-pandemic. However, the first step will be understanding what makes Australia's cuisine unique.

"We need to prepare for beyond the pandemic. We can tap into culinary tourism by positioning Australia as a destination of choice for a unique food experience," said Dr Park.

"Australia has some incredibly diverse offerings for food tourists, from modern gastronomy to traditional Indigenous cuisine, so we should showcase this to Australians and to the world."

More than just pavlova and Vegemite

Dr Park said while Australia is home to some iconic foods, such as Vegemite, Tim Tams and lamingtons, the key to a successful food museum will be in defining Australia's food culture.

"Australia is well known around the world for its high-quality produce, particularly our fresh food and wine," she said.

"But how do we express our food culture and identity while also embracing our vast and diverse heritage and Indigenous history?

"Food tourism is deeper than just a few special dishes - it needs to go beyond the food to the culture and wider experience."

Hungry for knowledge

Dr Park has researched gastronomy travel around the world to understand what attracts holidaymakers.

Her latest study explored the motivations of food tourists who visited China's Hangzhou Cuisine Museum and found that providing an authentic and engaging experience was key.

"Food museum visitors want an immersive experience with the ability to taste and enjoy the food while learning about its origins and history," Dr Park said.

"Around the world we're already seeing a gradual shift in museums from look-but-don't-touch monuments, to more interactive places for visitors to explore and learn."

Dr Park believes the opportunity for an Australian food museum is ripe for the picking.

"When the world recovers from the devastating impacts of COVID-19, what better way for people to reconnect, explore and engage than through food?"

'Hunger for learning or tasting? An exploratory study of food tourist motivations visiting food museum restaurants' was published in Tourism Recreation Research

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A taste for travel: how Australia could become a culinary capital

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A food museum could put Australia firmly on the global food tourist map but defining our food culture will be a challenge, according to Edith Cowan University researcher Dr Eerang Park. From Sweden's Disgusting Food Museum to the Netherlands' Dutch Cheese Museum, countries all over the world are increasingly capitalising on the lucrative food traveller market.