{ "title": "Culinary Tourism Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)", "slug": "global-culinary-tourism-market", "source_url": "https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/global-culinary-tourism-market", "industry": "Specialty, Niche & Experience Tourism", "parent_industry": "Hospitality & Tourism", "scraped_at": "2026-09-17T20:28:05+07:00", "base_size_display": "USD 61.90 billion", "forecast_size_display": "USD 61.90 billion", "cagr_display": "6.96 %", "base_size_usd_b": 61.9, "forecast_size_usd_b": 61.9, "cagr_pct": null, "largest_market": "North America", "fastest_market": "Asia-Pacific", "images": [ { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/global-culinary-tourism-market-major-players.webp", "alt": "Major players in Culinary Tourism industry", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_2.png", "filename": "chart_2.png" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/global-culinary-tourism-market-size.webp", "alt": "Culinary Tourism Market Size", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_3.png", "filename": "chart_3.png" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/global-culinary-tourism-market-share-by-activity-type-segment.webp", "alt": "Culinary Tourism Market Share by Activity Type Segment, 2025", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_4.png", "filename": "chart_4.png" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/global-culinary-tourism-market-share-by-distribution-channel-segment.webp", "alt": "Culinary Tourism Market Share by Distribution Channel Segment, 2025", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_5.png", "filename": "chart_5.png" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/global-culinary-tourism-market-growth-rate-by-region.webp", "alt": "Culinary Tourism Market Growth Rate by Region", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_6.png", "filename": "chart_6.png" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/global-culinary-tourism-market-competitive-landscape-market-concentration.webp", "alt": "Culinary Tourism Market Concentration", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_7.png", "filename": "chart_7.png" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/pdf3.png", "alt": "Icon", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_8.png", "filename": "chart_8.png" }, { "url": "https://www.mordorintelligence.com/express-img/footer-background.png", "alt": "footer background image", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_10.png", "filename": "chart_10.png" }, { "url": "https://www.mordorintelligence.com/express-img/facebook.svg", "alt": "Mordor Intelligence on Facebook", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_12.svg", "filename": "chart_12.svg" }, { "url": "https://www.mordorintelligence.com/express-img/pinterest.svg", "alt": "Mordor Intelligence on Pinterest", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_14.svg", "filename": "chart_14.svg" }, { "url": "https://www.mordorintelligence.com/express-img/instagram.svg", "alt": "Mordor Intelligence on Instagram", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_15.svg", "filename": "chart_15.svg" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/static/updated-images/Esomar-25.webp", "alt": "ESOMAR", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_17.png", "filename": "chart_17.png" }, { "url": "https://s3.mordorintelligence.com/static/updated-images/GPTW-25-3xl.webp", "alt": "GPTW", "local_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/images/chart_19.png", "filename": "chart_19.png" } ], "faq": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the current size of the culinary tourism space and how fast is it growing?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The culinary tourism market was valued at USD 58.95 billion in 2025, reached USD 61.90 billion in 2026, and is forecast to reach USD 86.66 billion by 2031 at a 6.96% CAGR." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which region leads global demand for food-led travel?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Europe held the largest share at 32.85% in 2025, supported by strong visitor infrastructure and deep culinary heritage, while Asia-Pacific is growing faster." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which activity type attracts the largest share of traveler spending?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Independent Dining Tourism led with a 32.34% share in 2025, showing that restaurant-led exploration remains the most accessible and scalable format." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is driving faster growth in Asia-Pacific culinary travel?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food-led travel intent is high across the region, with Agoda reporting 47% in Taiwan, 35% in Vietnam, and 34% in South Korea, alongside strong search growth for food festival destinations." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why is India important in this space?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "India combines deep regional food heritage with rising global visibility, and Lucknow's 2025 UNESCO gastronomy designation strengthens that position, even though India ranked 34th in the 2026 GTMI due to infrastructure gaps." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the main challenge limiting broader adoption of curated food travel?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Cost remains the biggest barrier, with premium culinary packages priced 22% above standard itineraries in 2025 and 36% of mid-range travelers skipping curated gastronomy experiences." } } ], "sections": { "overview-points-list flex-49 share-feature-end": "Market OverviewStudy Period | 2022 - 2031 | \nMarket Size (2026) | USD 61.90 Billion | \nMarket Size (2031) | USD 86.66 Billion | \nGrowth Rate (2026 - 2031) | 6.96 % | \nFastest Growing Market | Asia-Pacific | \nLargest Market | Europe | \nMarket Concentration | Low | \nMajor Players*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order\n\nImage © Mordor Intelligence. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0.\n\n |", "market_overview": "Culinary Tourism Market Analysis by Mordor IntelligenceThe Culinary Tourism Market size is expected to grow from USD 58.95 billion in 2025 to USD 61.90 billion in 2026 and is forecast to reach USD 86.66 billion by 2031 at 6.96% CAGR over 2026-2031.\n\nThe culinary tourism market has moved beyond a niche leisure category. It now sits closer to the center of destination choice, as food experiences increasingly shape how travelers compare places, plan itineraries, and allocate spend once they arrive. The culinary tourism market also creates value across a wider local chain than standard sightseeing travel, because spending flows into restaurants, artisanal producers, hosts, guides, transport links, and destination managers rather than staying concentrated in a narrow set of tourism assets. This shift is becoming more visible in India as well, where the depth of heritage is clear, but visitor-facing systems still need work. That gap matters because India ranked 34th in the 2026 Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index even as Lucknow entered UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network for gastronomy in 2025. The culinary tourism market is also being supported by stronger digital discovery, more formal destination branding around cuisine, and better product packaging by operators that can turn local food culture into bookable formats. The result is a culinary tourism market where authenticity, ease of booking, and trusted local access now matter as much as traditional tourism drawcards.[1]UNESCO, “Lucknow Joins UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Gastronomy,” UNESCO, unesco.org\n\nKey Report Takeaways* By activity type, Independent Dining Tourism led with a 32.34% share in 2025, while Experiential Learning and Cooking Classes recorded the highest projected CAGR at 7.46% through 2031.\n* By tourist type, Domestic Culinary Tourists held 61.12% share in 2025, while International Culinary Tourists were forecast to grow faster at 7.97% through 2031.\n* By distribution channel, Direct Booking accounted for 40.41% share in 2025, while Online Travel Platforms advanced at the highest CAGR of 8.52% through 2031.\n* By travel type, Group Travelers held 65.93% of the culinary tourism market share in 2025 and also posted the highest projected CAGR of 8.09% through 2031.\n* By geography, Europe held 32.85% of the culinary tourism market share in 2025, while Asia-Pacific was projected to expand at an 8.85% CAGR through 2031.", "key_market_trends": "Market Trends and InsightsDrivers Impact Analysis of Culinary Tourism Market*Drivers | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline | \nRising demand for authentic local food experiences | +1.9% | Global, especially Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South America | Medium term (2-4 years) | \nSocial media-driven food discovery | +1.4% | Global, with the highest intensity in Asia-Pacific, North America, and Western Europe | Short term (≤ 2 years) | \nExpansion of food festivals and gastronomic events | +0.8% | Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific | Medium term (2-4 years) | \nGovernment-led destination branding through cuisine | +0.7% | Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and select European cities | Long term (≥ 4 years) | \nPremiumization of experiential travel itineraries | +0.9% | North America, Western Europe, and high-income Asia-Pacific markets | Medium term (2-4 years) | \nDigital booking and AI-curated culinary planning | +0.7% | Global, with faster adoption in North America and the Asia-Pacific | Short term (≤ 2 years) | \nSource: Mordor Intelligence |", "competitive_landscape": "Competitive Landscape\n\nThe culinary tourism market remains fragmented, with no single operator dominating across all regions, formats, or customer types. Competition is spread across specialist food tour operators, broader experiential travel companies with culinary programs, and digital experience platforms that aggregate hosts and local offerings. This fragmented structure shapes the culinary tourism market in a very direct way: brand trust matters, but local delivery quality still determines whether the product works on the ground. Specialists usually compete through city-level expertise and community access, while larger players compete through scale, distribution, and repeat customer reach. The result is a market where local authenticity and operating systems both matter, but neither is sufficient on its own.\n\nOne visible strategic move has come from Secret Food Tours, which announced expansion to more than 100 cities and over 200 tours, while also reporting more than 100,000 five-star reviews and plans for continued geographic growth. The company also announced the acquisition of Ultimate Food Tours in New York City in March 2026, showing that even in a fragmented culinary tourism market, selected operators are beginning to use acquisition-led expansion alongside organic city launches. Another strategic example comes from Trip.com Group, which launched the immersive “Taste of China” dining show in Shanghai in August 2025 and linked that launch to strong culinary travel booking growth in the first half of the year. These moves show that the culinary tourism market is rewarding both physical expansion and higher-value packaging around food-led experiences.\n\nA third strategic direction is visible in platform positioning and booking technology. Eatwith’s 2025 repositioning around cultural stewardship suggests that platforms now recognize authenticity as a competitive asset rather than only a marketing theme. American Express’s Dining Companion beta also points to a more integrated booking journey, where dining discovery, recommendations, and reservations occur within a connected ecosystem. For India, this means the strongest competitive position will likely come from operators that combine credible regional storytelling with professional booking, language access, and dependable service standards. In that environment, the culinary tourism market should remain open to smaller local specialists, but only if they can translate authenticity into a format that is easy for travelers to discover and trust.\n\nCulinary Tourism Industry Leaders* TripAdvisor, Inc.\n\n* Viator, Inc.\n\n* G Adventures Inc.\n\n* Intrepid Group Pty Ltd\n\n* The Travel Corporation\n\n* *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order\nImage © Mordor Intelligence. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0.", "component component-3 scope-of-the-report-bottom": "Global Culinary Tourism Market Report ScopeBy Activity TypeGuided Food Tours & Culinary Trails | \nExperiential Learning & Cooking Classes | \nIndependent Dining Tourism | \nCulinary Events & Festivals | \nBeverage Tourism |", "segmentation-accordion-item": "By GeographyNorth America | United States | \n | Canada | \n | Mexico | \nSouth America | Brazil | \n | Peru | \n | Chile | \n | Argentina | \n | Rest of South America | \nEurope | United Kingdom | \n | Germany | \n | France | \n | Spain | \n | Italy | \n | BENELUX (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) | \n | NORDICS (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) | \n | Russia | \n | Rest of Europe | \nAsia-Pacific | India | \n | China | \n | Japan | \n | Australia | \n | South Korea | \n | South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Philippines) | \n | Rest of Asia-Pacific | \nMiddle East and Africa | United Arab Emirates | \n | Saudi Arabia | \n | South Africa | \n | Nigeria | \n | Rest of Middle East and Africa |" }, "dataset_properties": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Market Size (2026)", "value": 61.9, "unitText": "USD Billion" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Market Size (2031)", "value": 86.66, "unitText": "USD Billion" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Growth Rate (2026 - 2031)", "value": 6.96, "unitText": "PERCENT" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Fastest Growing Market", "value": "Asia-Pacific" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Largest Market", "value": "Europe" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Market Concentration", "value": "Low" } ], "html_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/index.html", "pdf_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/global-culinary-tourism-market_report.pdf", "docx_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/global-culinary-tourism-market_report.docx", "md_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/global-culinary-tourism-market_report.md", "json_path": "reports/global-culinary-tourism-market/global-culinary-tourism-market_data.json" }