Food tourism and content creation - a recipe that will be passed down through the generations

What is your favorite food memory while on vacation? What’s the best beach cafe you have visited? Where did you meet the coolest chef? Do you get a kick out of visiting a local food market, packing a picnic and heading to a local beauty spot for nurture and nature? Every traveler has a food memory and it isn’t usually because they went on a foodie trip per se. It’s just because food is fundamental. It should, therefore, flavor every aspect of tourism content and be sprinkled throughout all sectors. 

By creating strong story-led film content about food producers or foragers, growers or brewers, chefs and chocolatiers, travelers can benefit from sustainable, culinary culture wherever they go. They just need to be able to browse a carefully crafted menu. Here are our top tips on creating exemplary food tourism content.

sustainable tourism content is sizzling right now

Sustainability isn’t a food fad, it’s here to stay and travelers are looking for it on the menus wherever they go. From diners to high-end restaurants, cocktail bars or beach shacks, a rapidly growing number of conscious consumers want to know, is the food local, natural and sustainable? The US has been a leader in discussing the provenance of food on menus, and training their staff to be on message, but these stories can spread way beyond the restaurant tables and bars and onto your website, social and email content. 

“We use food as medicine. When your heart is full you’re not stressed. We have a good heart. Bright smiles on our faces. It’s connected.” - Supan Inthachai, founder of Baan Rai Kong homestay community in Thailand’s Chiang Mai region.

Food tourism isn’t seasonal

In the shoulder season, one of the secret ingredients of creating food content is linking it to other outdoor activities that non-foodies can find. So, if they are cycling or walking on an autumnal trail, where are the best food stops along the way? Is there a local food market where they can pack a picnic before going on a family leaf-peeping outing? By connecting food tourism content to activity content you make life easier for your visitors and they will definitely be coming back for more. 

John and Sally McKenna, authors of Ireland’s  highly acclaimed book, Wild Atlantic Way: Where To Eat & Stay

Feed every tourism sector with food content

Food stories and story-led content can be added to all your tourism sectors. Food shouldn’t just be listed under ‘Things to do’ or ‘Experiences’. It’s a main course, starter and dessert. It’s also an appetizer and aperitif, so please pepper your website with produce. On your family travel pages you could have a short film about the local ice cream maker, or the best places to go fruit picking. The chef who forages for wild ingredients and supports the concept of rewilding, for example, can spread his seeds of knowledge on walking or nature trails pages. Kayakers will kill for a list of riverside eateries and cyclists will race each other to the best breweries. The short film script possibilities are endless when you combine food with forays and fun. It’s almost impossible to have your fill of foodie content.

“I can save a product like fonio by introducing it to the world, and food is a great way to introduce a culture.” - Chef Pierre Thiam.  

Celebrate food as culture

Creating content that celebrates the cultural heritage of food in your destination is one that takes skill and expertise. Visit Finland, for example, does it brilliantly, with a video that puts the spotlight on its wild, foraging and natural food culture, adding the simple wordsmithery: eat cool, eat creative, eat local, eat wild, eat pure, eat Finnish. Visit Vietnam, one of the top food tourism destinations in the world is brimming with food tourism content, from noodles to street food guides, delta food to desserts. Their Instagram page definitely gets the juices flowing, with one particularly cool video, with this accompanying copy: “From paddy to plate -- follow the journey of rice and see how this humble grain is at the heart of Vietnamese cuisine.”

“Georgians were making wine eight thousand years ago...we respect our past very much and we are building new experiences from our past. And I think this is very healthy.” - Keto Ninidze, winery owner, Georgia.

Social Media is hungry for tourism stories

You may not personally love to post your food pics on Instagram, but millions of people do. Celebrity chefs are revered on Twitter, YouTube is like a foodie factory and TikTok users devour culinary clips. Share a one-minute video of your local lobster catch, an endearing food truck owner, or a beach cafe at sunset and watch your social media life surge. 

The food tourism stats speak for themselves

According to the World Food Travel Association, 53% of all leisure travelers choose their next destination based on food and drink. This is up from 45% just four years prior, so it’s a growing trend. Between 2010-2020, the UNWTO recognized the substantial growth in wine tourism, describing it as “a key component of gastronomy tourism’” and “an essential segment of the tourism industry”, while linking it to other cultural tourism segments including food and the arts. Responsible and sustainable tourism destinations should do more than give a quick nod to its producers and food outlets. Read more in our article, Sustainable tourism is not just about making jam.

Be inspired by the Bourdain effect

The late, great Anthony Bourdain’s hugely successful food and travel series, Parts Unknown, is a masterclass in storytelling, which is why we have dedicated an article to what the sustainable travel industry can learn from Bourdain’s brilliance. The best takeaway from this series is that when creating food and travel stories, think of them as onions with many layers. You peel back one story and there is another one under that. The food stories just keep giving. 

Make your food content inclusive

Inclusivity in tourism can be celebrated through cuisine in so many ways, if you apply your storytelling creativity to it. Restaurants and bars that are barrier-free can be listed as part of your accessible tourism guide and policy, with details of which mobility and cognitive needs are catered for. Women’s stories are often sidelined in tourism, and yet they are some of the most interesting stories to be told, especially in the culinary and cultural world. Empowering women through excellent food travel content is not only inclusive but inspiring in terms of traveler engagement.