Travel sellers are continually looking for ways to grow business, attract new clients, increase repeat rates and generally improve the bottom line. But one aspect of travel is often left off the table, literally.

According to a 2007 research study of Americans co-authored by the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA), culinary travelers span all ethnic groups, age groups and both genders. Think of all the travel food shows on the Food Network, and all the food travel shows on the Travel Channel – people are interested in food and travel together.

So how can travel sellers benefit from all this interest? Over the next three weeks Travel Market Report will explore culinary tourism. This week we’ll look at what comprises culinary travel and what kinds of culinary tours exist. Next, TMR will examine the culinary tourist and then, we’ll tell you how you can educate yourself further and provide a list of some of the major culinary tourism players.

What is Culinary Travel?

Harold D. Partain, CTC, CCTP, executive director of McCabe Travel Group and founder of Epicopia: A Collection of Food & Wine Travel Experiences (a tour company affiliated with McCabe Travel Group), and vice chairman of the ICTA Board of Directors, told Travel Market Report that culinary travel is about being able to touch, breath, taste and understand food and how it relates to a particular region.

Culinary travel falls into two broad spectrums – the casual, added-value culinary experiences tacked onto a general vacation, and the intense, hands on, food-focused experience.

Wine and food themed-river cruises and ocean cruises, including Holland America’s guest chef itineraries, fit into the first category.

According to Partain, these products are a good way to introduce current clients to food-focused travel without overwhelming them.

“I see the person who is doing the cruise as the person who is getting ready to switch, to come over to a culinary land travel group. They realized the uniqueness of food and they’ve probably watched every chef TV show there is.”

Food-focused experiences tacked onto large packaged tour groups, like Trafalgar’s Be My Guest program, are also part of this segment.

Cooking classes also fall into this area. Agents arranging FIT vacations for clients to Italy, France and Spain (among other countries) can arrange for clients to participate in cooking classes for a full or half day as a way of including food in the itinerary.

These types of travel products are gaining in popularity, and bringing the concept of culinary travel into the mainstream.

Carolina Murillo, district manager of Garber Travel’s leisure offices told TMR that her agents are making more of a concerted effort to include food in their clients’ travel these days.

For instance, she suggested to a group of women heading to Italy’s Amalfi Coast and Naples that they learn about pizza, since Naples is the birthplace of pizza. The itinerary now includes a four-hour pizza cooking class.

Both the agency and the clients benefit. The agency earns commission and the clients get a deeper insight into the food and culture of the area they’re traveling in.

Partain said that once clients “get a taste” of culinary travel they’ll be ready for more focused options.

In-Depth Culinary Tourism

When culinary tourism experts talk about culinary tourism they are not referring to vacations with a few food-focused experiences thrown in. Instead, they’re talking about hands on, food-focused travel.

These trips revolve almost 100% around food.

“The shopping for the food, the food preparation, the tasting, the eating, this is becoming very popular with a lot of people,” said Elaine Johnston of Glade Explorers Travel who is trying to grow a subdivision called Culinary Cruises & Tours.

There are several tour companies that offer food-intensive packages, including Epicurean Ways, which is focused on Spanish culinary travel.

“We consider culinary tourism to be very focused on the place and the traditions and the food and the ingredients,” said Epicurean Ways owner Jane Gregg.

Epicurean Ways tours include cooking classes, visits to restaurants (Michelin-starred and small, local places), olive oil mills, wineries, as well as cheese tastings, tapas bars and more.

Arrange or Create Culinary Trips

Travel agents have two choices when it comes to selling and marketing culinary travel.

First, they can market their ability to arrange food-related travel experiences. This lets anyone with an interest in culinary travel know that they can call the agent to arrange their culinary vacation. When these agents receive a request, they then call a supplier either to find out what ready-made vacations are available or to create an FIT package.

Or travel agents can proactively create a culinary package and then sell spots on the tour. These types of tours are usually created in partnership with a local restaurant or chef. Local dining clubs are also good prospects.

As its first stab at incorporating culinary travel into its business mix, Garber Travel is hosting its first culinary-themed group tour this year. The tour, which visits Puglia, Italy, was created in partnership with a local restaurant. Both agency and restaurant are marketing the tour to their clients. Next year, the agency and restaurant plan to arrange a similar tour to Italy’s Lake District, and sell spots on the tour.

A select segment of culinary travel focuses on the experience of dining. These trips are usually FIT and revolve around dining in Michelin-starred restaurants and visiting upscale wineries. Because of the price involved in such trips, Partain said this type of culinary travel is only a small portion of the market.

Converting Business Travelers

While culinary tourism clearly falls into the leisure travel category, Partain told Travel Market Report that travel sellers shouldn’t ignore their business clients. Agents with business clients going to New York City or Boston, or any major city in the United States who have free time, may be interested in a food walking tour or a culinary institute cooking class.

“These are great ways to start introducing your business travelers to the concept of food as a travel experience,” Partain said.

Additionally, these clients will return home and tell their spouses, their colleagues and their friends about the culinary experience they had.

Food-related domestic travel is also a great way to introduce hesitant travelers to food travel. All major cities have a local company that offers some type of food tour, as well as cooking schools through which classes can be arranged. For instance Gourmet Getaways offers one-day food-focused trips in New York and New Jersey.

Additionally, some destination management companies can pre-arrange dinners so that clients get a “taste” of the city, and agents get a commission. And when packaged together, all these experiences can be wrapped up as weekend getaways.