December | 2013 | Pardus African Tours & Safaris

Culinary Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Evidence of this phenomenon is the recent growth of food shows on television travel channels and travel shows on television food channels – not just in the US but around the world. Dining out is common among tourists and food is believed to rank alongside climate, accommodation and scenery in importance. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, tourists will always partake in some form culinary tourism. Culinary tourism or food tourism is defined as the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences. It is the act of experiencing the food of a country, region or area. Culinary tourism is a subset of cultural tourism (because cuisine is a manifestation of culture) and is now considered a vital componant of the tourism experience. Culinary tourism is not limited to fine dining and gourmet foods. This is perhaps best illustrated by the notion that culinary tourism is about what is “unique and memorable” not necessarily “pretentious and exclusive”. In 2007, the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA), in partnership with the Travel Industry Association of America and Gourmet Magazine, commissioned the first culinary tourism research ever done in the United States. While the research focused on Americans, the findings were comparable to culinary tourism research performed in other countries, notably Canada, Australia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. An overview of the findings of these studies suggests that culinary travelers are similar in demographic and psychographic profiles in almost every country for which studies exist.

1. 100% OF PEOPLE EAT OUT WHILE TRAVELING

2. CULINARY TRAVELERS SPAN ALL ETHNIC GROUPS

3. CULINARY TRAVELERS SPAN ALL AGE GROUPS

4. CULINARY TRAVELERS SPAN BOTH GENDERS

5. CULINARY TRAVELERS ARE WELL EDUCATED

6. CULINARY TRAVELERS HAVE DISPOSABLE INCOME 
Culinary travelers are explorers who tend to have higher levels of disposable income. Therefore, it should be of no surprise that culinary travelers have the financial wherewithal to explore new culinary offerings while traveling.

So if you are a serious culinary tourist, come explore South Africa, we have 11 official languages, 9 provinces, 7 different Biomes and the best fresh produce in the world. We have culinary delights that range from traditional Zulu to the ultra modern fusion of West & East meets Africa.