New Study to Focus on Trends in Culinary Tourism

Washington, DC, July 19, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Mandala Research(MR) will partner with the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA) on a new study of culinary travelers to learn more about the preferences and activities of this affluent and discriminating market segment.

This Culinary Traveler Study will provide a detailed demographic profile of U.S. culinary travelers domestically and abroad, and will uncover characteristics of the trips they take, including the amount of money spent and other activities engaged in while traveling. It will also identify the most popular destinations for wine and culinary travel, reveal new trends in culinary tourism, and identify which online and social media channels are most used by culinary travelers to get recommendations and to find information.

“Culinary travelers are an active and lucrative market for destinations and other travel marketers,” said Laura Mandala, managing director of Mandala Research. “We will help destinations, domestic and international travel companies, restaurants, wineries, and other culinary tourism-related businesses understand what motivates these travelers and how they research their destinations, and which destinations are most popular for this audience and why.”

Mandala said travel and tourism organizations can use this information to gain valuable market knowledge and insight to help them refine their marketing strategies to reach this growing market.

Culinary travelers, defined as those who travel for unique and memorable eating or drinking experiences, make up roughly one-fifth of the U.S. leisure traveling population. Compared to the average leisure traveler, wine and culinary travelers are more affluent, better educated, and take part in more activities while traveling.

Sponsorship opportunities will be available beginning July 16. For most levels, the benefits include adding proprietary questions to the survey and providing input into the survey’s design.

Mandala Research is a nationally recognized firm specializing in travel and tourism. MR will have responsibility for fielding the study, designing the methodology, analyzing the data, writing the report that will include key findings and recommendations, and disseminating the results.

ICTA is the world’s leading authority on culinary travel with robust programs in culinary tourism education and research, development, and promotion. ICTA will provide oversight and expertise as this study is developed and executed.

The study is scheduled to begin in late July 2012 with results available in September 2012. Data will be available to study sponsors at that time, with completed reports available for purchase by late September 2012.

For more information about the study please contact Laura Mandala at laura@mandalaresearch.com or 703.798.5452. For more information about ICTA and the culinary tourism industry, contact Erik Wolf, President and CEO, at Erik@culinarytourism.org or 503-213-3700.