Erik Wolf, Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association (WFTA) has announced the largest Food Tourism Study ever conducted. The new global food and drink tourism research breaks new ground and includes global data, beverage tourism and PsychoCulinary profiling.
PsychoCulinary profiling is an accepted profiling methodology which analyzes each destination within the context of the thirteen PsychoCulinary food-tourist profiles: a Gourmet, Authentic, Localist, Adventurer, Eclectic, Ambiance, Organic, Budget, Innovative, Social, Trendy, Novice and Vegetarian.
Following on its groundbreaking past research, the World Food Travel Association is raising the bar again with the undertaking of the largest food and beverage tourism study ever conducted. The survey, which will be released in early May 2016, is a significant evolution over past research.
The Reasons why this new Food Tourism research is significant are:
- It is the first multi-national research study about food and drink travelers. Eight destinations are included in this first benchmark study: Ireland, Finland, Scotland, Louisiana, California, the State of Oregon, Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Basque Country in Spain. Additional destinations will be added annually.
- It is the first food tourism research study that also measures interest in beverages, including wine, beer, cider and distilled spirits.
- This research will expand significantly on the WFTA’s PsychoCulinary profiling methodology first developed in 2010 and will analyze each destination in the context of its own PsychoCulinary profile.
- It is the first food/drink tourism research that will survey both inbound and outbound food/drink travelers to/from the included destinations.
- Research specialists in food and drink tourism have designed the survey, giving an additional level of depth and understanding which will add value to the findings.
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| Erik Wolf, Founder and Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association |
The World Food Travel Association (WFTA) is a non-profit and non-governmental organization and is recognized as the world’s leading authority on food tourism. Its mission is to drive economic development for the food, drink, travel and hospitality trade. The Association was founded in 2003 by its Executive Director Erik Wolf and today brings innovative food tourism solutions and thought leadership to 35,000+ industry professionals in 135 countries.
John Mulcahy, Head of Food Tourism for Fáilte Ireland, said, “A significant proportion of a visitor’s time on holiday in Ireland will be spent experiencing food in some way – either consuming it in local dining or hospitality establishments, visiting specialist shops and markets or having a hands on artisanal experience. As a consequence, the experience the visitors have of food will play a pivotal part in determining their satisfaction with their overall holiday. Fáilte Ireland’s vision for food tourism is to ensure that Ireland is recognised for its memorable food experiences which evoke a unique sense of place, culture and hospitality."
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| John Mulcahy, Head of Food Tourism for Fáilte Ireland |
Mr Mulcahy added, "This study will aid in validating the efforts made over the last strategy, presenting our industry with a comprehensive view of the current perceptions around the Irish food experience, thus informing us of where Ireland is placed on a global scale in terms of its food offering."
Supporting the new World Food Travel Association research in a significant way are several international organizations including Fáilte Ireland, the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, Travel Oregon, Oregon’s Wine Country/Willamette Valley Visitors Association, Basque Tourism Office in Spain, Visit Finland, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland and the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Additional project support comes from Visit California and Visit Scotland.
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| Food Tourism is a vital ingredient to the future of Irish Tourism |
Fáilte Ireland was formed in 2003 under the National Tourism Development Authority Act and they became responsible for supporting Ireland’s tourism industry by keeping Ireland as a quality and competitive tourist destination. Researching and bench marking emerging tourism trends is an important facet of their work; as Fáilte Ireland continues to strengthen the holiday experience for visitors. They pride themselves on investing in tourism amenities and infrastructure, and constantly developing tourism education. Fáilte Ireland also has a unique national-specific campaign, Discover Ireland, which operates a year-round integrative marketing strategy to encourage locals to vacation within their beautiful home country.
For more about the World Food Travel Association see Here
For info on Irish Food Tours see www.IrishFoodTours.ie
Zack