admin Authenticity is the latest word in the travel industry, travelers do not want to travel a lot in search for more adventurous of packaged tourism and experiential travel. Tour operators are noticing ‘a real interest in interacting genuinely with other people and cultures’ emerging as a new type of package trip, which aims to strike a balance between personalization and independence on one side and in the know support and assistance on the other.
While historical and heritage experiences are extremely popular with travelers, cooking classes and food tours are also highly sought for experiences to enjoy while abroad, especially among US travelers. According to TripAdvisor, you will find a guided Street Food Tour in Rome with pizza, pastries and sightseeing among the fastest growing travel experiences, as well as an interactive Spanish Cooking Experience in Barcelona where travelers learn how to make paella and Spanish tapas with a local chef.
When it comes to cuisines from countries all over the world, travelers have a desire to experience street food, home-cooking and local food traditions. Millennials want to taste new dishes and regional beverages, encounter unusual ingredients and enjoy local hospitality, all the while sharing their snaps across their multiple social media platforms.
Rural areas are also seeing an increase in their number of visitors – a welcome boost to their economies, particularly considering that this type of tourism allows a tie-in with local heritage and historical buildings. One country that is taking full advantage of this new trend of culinary and rural tourism is Croatia, which is marketing both its rural areas and “food all homemade and sourced locally.”
Emerging economies are also benefiting from the boom in traveler experiences. The United Nations World Tourism Organization predicts that tourism in emerging economies will grow to 57% of the global market by 2030. Iran, Burma and several countries in Latin America are among the top emerging destinations.
While travelers may want to personalize their trips and make more decisions regarding which places to visit, they do not necessarily want a headache that comes with organizing logistics. Some tour operators have found a way to appeal to these sophisticated travel-seekers by spacing out itineraries and leaving time for spontaneity or just to relax.
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