page_title: Culinary tourism
section_title: Food tours
hierarchical_section_title: Culinary tourism / Food tours
caption_attribution_description: Polski: Lokal przy al. Wojska Polskiego w Szczecinie gdzie serwowany jest Pasztecik szczeciński
context_page_description: Culinary tourism or food tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of tourism. It is now considered a vital component of the tourism experience. Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed to rank alongside climate, accommodation, and scenery" in importance to tourists.
context_section_description: The food tour formula varies from tour to tour and from operator to operator (of which there are many). Most, however, feature the following elements:
  They operate in major cities that have substantial tourist numbers. Tours exist – among other places - in London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Toronto, Istanbul, New York City, Lisbon, Berlin, Madrid, Belfast, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Athens, Kuala Lumpur, Marrakech and Barcelona. Operators must find a city with a vibrant and interesting food culture. Street food may feature.
  Tours are generally on foot. The distances traveled are never large and may focus on a few adjoining streets. Some cycle tour companies offer food tours by bike.
  Tours typically last at least three hours, although many last longer. Tours generally start and end at public transport hubs such as metro stations.
  Group sizes range from private small groups to around 20 people or more.
  Tours rarely charge for small children who share food with parents/carers. Tours may not be necessarily fully compliant with wheelchair use – this will depend on the exact tour and the attitude of each location to disability.
  Tours take visitors to places they might otherwise not have seen, so they can shop and eat like locals rather than rely on tourist traps. Phrases such as “eat the city like a real Parisian/Berliner/Londoner/New Yorker” are often employed in food tour publicity.
  All tours are guided by local people. Many tour guides add their local knowledge as a bonus, perhaps recommending restaurants in other parts of the city.
  Tours are primarily about food. The format varies from company to company but will generally include visits to markets, bars, and cafés where those on the tour are invited to sample the wares. There is usually a shop visit to buy the sort of food that is difficult to source elsewhere. Tours may end up with a sit-down meal at a restaurant where there is usually the choice of beer, wine or soft drinks.
  Guides talk about food, often pointing those on the tour to shops they use. They may discuss how the sort of food they and their families eat differs from the food generally offered to tourists. They are unlikely to be kindly disposed to international fast food outlets.
  Guides generally add material about the history of the area the tour is in.
  Tours assume that participants eat almost anything and are not designed for special diets.
  Many tour companies aim to create a sustainable tourism model over which they provide to their clients an experience that makes a positive impact on the local environment, society and economy by working only with local producers and/or family own establishments, and celebrating local traditions, all on foot, which means having a zero carbon footprint.
  June 10, 2017, was the first annual National Food Tour Day, celebrating food tourism around the world.
  The World Food Travel Association introduced World Food Travel Day on April 18, 2019 as a way to put the spotlight on how and why we travel to experience the world's culinary cultures. It is designed to bring awareness to both consumers and trade, and support the Association's mission - to preserve and promote culinary cultures through hospitality and tourism. The day is celebrated all around the world every year on April 18.
caption: The oldest bar serving dough named pasztecik szczeciński in the center of Szczecin (Poland), a popular destination for tourists visiting the city. Pasztecik szczeciński is one of traditional dishes of Pomerania
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