Food for Thought: Booking.com Research Shows Culinary Experiences Dictate Holiday Choices for Canadian Travellers

Forget listening to your heart, for Canadians it's all about listening to your stomach.  

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/525714/Food_for_Thought.jpg )

According to new research commissioned by Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, nearly three quarters (69%) of Canadians would travel somewhere known for its food and drink ^[i]. With the joy of trying local delicacies often becoming one of the highlights of any trip, it's clear Canadians have developed this taste for travel.

So, which destinations should be top of mind for those looking to sip, savour and sample their way through their next vacation? According to over 118 million real reviews from global travellers on Booking.com, the top Canadian cities for a salivating gastronomic experience are Vancouver, with its west coast charm and healthy treats, followed by the flavourful Quebecois cuisine of Montreal and thirdly the Nova Scotia Capital of Halifax, known for its fresh seafood and award-winning wines ^[ii].

    Top 5 cities in Canada endorsed for food
    1  Vancouver
    2  Montreal
    3  Halifax
    4  Winnipeg
    5  Toronto

Globally, Asian and South American flavours were favourites in the top ten foodie destinations, with Greece, Australia and Spain not far behind^[iii]. Hong Kong, with its famous dim sum, Sao Paulo with Brazilian barbeque and Tokyo, whose restaurants have accrued more Michelin stars than New York and Paris combined^[iv], top the list.

   
    Top 25 cities globally endorsed for food by Booking.com travellers
    1  Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    2  Sao Paulo, Brazil
    3  Tokyo, Japan
    4  Athens, Greece
    5  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    6  Melbourne, Australia
    7  Bangkok, Thailand
    8  Granada, Spain
    9  Las Vegas, USA
    10 Buenos Aires, Argentina
    11 Singapore, Singapore
    12 Warsaw, Poland
    13 Porto, Portugal
    14 Valencia, Spain
    15 Florence, Italy
    16 Milan, Italy
    17 Sydney, Australia
    18 Krakow, Poland
    19 Istanbul, Turkey
    20 Lisbon, Portugal
    21 Munich, Germany
    22 Copenhagen, Denmark
    23 Seville, Spain
    24 Brussels, Belgium
    25 Rome, Italy

Gastronomic tourism  

In the last year, almost one in ten (8%) people have travelled to fulfil their hobby of fine dining and seven percent for their passion for wine. However, with 79% of travellers between the ages of 18 and 34 considering travelling somewhere that's specifically known for its gastronomic delights^[v], it seems globally millennials are leading the way for gastronomic tourism. In fact, one in ten have combined their love of street food with travelling, compared to only four percent of those travellers aged over 55^[vi].

Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com comments:

"Culinary travel is an ever-growing trend, with travellers planning trips centred on taste-inspired exploration and seeking to fully immerse themselves in the local culture, of which food plays a huge part. Not only are people looking for luxury gastronomic experiences, but also sampling local and street food.  

By using real traveller reviews, of which there are over 118 million on Booking.com and growing each day, we're able to help travellers to discover the best places to explore as recommended by fellow travellers from the best neighbourhoods and dishes to try to discovering hidden gems beyond the mainstream culinary destinations." 

About Booking.com:

Booking.com is the world leader in booking hotel and other accommodations online. It guarantees the best prices for any type of property - from small independents to five-star luxury. Guests can access the Booking.com website anytime, anywhere from their desktops, mobile phones and tablet devices, and they don't pay booking fees - ever. The Booking.com website is available in 43 languages, offers over 1.2 million accommodations including 651,583 vacation rental properties and covers 110,983 unique destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide. It features over 118M reviews written by guests after their stay, and attracts online visitors from both leisure and business markets around the globe. With over 20 years of experience and a team of over 15,000 dedicated employees in 199 offices worldwide, Booking.com operates its own in-house customer service team, which is available 24/7 to assist guests in their native languages and ensure an exceptional customer experience.

Established in 1996, Booking.com B.V. owns and operates Booking.com™, and is part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN). Follow us on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, like us on Facebook, or learn more at http://www.booking.com.

i. According to data collected by Booking.com with 12,781 respondents across 13 markets in September 2016. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and had to be planning at least one trip for 2017. All respondents had to consider themselves part of their travel decision-making process

ii. Booking.com analysts looked at destinations that had the most endorsements for 'food' by Booking.com travellers from that country, which needed to have over 300 endorsements or more for 'food' to be considered

iii. To find the top 25 destinations, Booking.com looked at destinations that had the most endorsements for 'food' by global Booking.com travellers, which needed to have over 300 endorsements or more for 'food' between 1 January 2016 - 31 December 2016 to be considered.

iv. http://uk.businessinsider.com/cities-with-the-most-michelin-stars-in-the-world-2016-12/#2-kyoto-japan-135-stars-17 [http://uk.businessinsider.com/cities-with-the-most-michelin-stars-in-the-world-2016-12 ]

v. According to data collected by Booking.com with 12,781 respondents across 13 markets in September 2016. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and had to be planning at least one trip for 2017. All respondents had to consider themselves part of their travel decision-making process.

vi. According to data collected by Booking.com with 12,781 respondents across 13 markets in September 2016. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and had to be planning at least one trip for 2017. All respondents had to consider themselves part of their travel decision-making process.

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Canadian Booking.com Press Office: Sarah Zajac, sarah@punchcanada.com.