About this episode
This episode explores the rise of food tours in the travel industry and the experiences of those creating them.
Food tours are becoming one of the fastest-growing parts of the travel industry, with tourists increasingly choosing to explore cities and cultures through what they eat. In this episode, Ruth Alexander explores the global rise of guided food experiences and the people building businesses around them. In Manchester, food tour guide Julia Fairburn takes Ruth through some of the city’s best-known food spots, explaining how successful tours combine local history, storytelling and carefully paced eating experiences designed to leave visitors with lasting memories. Eric Wolf, founder and executive director of the World Food Travel Association in Valencia, Spain, explains how food tourism has expanded worldwide into a multi-billion-dollar industry, as travellers increasingly seek authentic and immersive culinary experiences. We also hear from Judith von Prockel, who began creating holidays centred around food experiences more than two decades ago, long before culinary tourism became mainstream. She reflects on how attitudes towards food travel have changed and why people are increasingly planning trips around what they want to eat. And in Malaysia, Pauline Lee from Simply Enak…
People in this episode
Host: Ruth Alexander
Guests: Julia Fairburn, Eric Wolf, Judith von Prockel, Pauline Lee
Topics covered
- food tourism
- travel industry
- guided food experiences
- culinary experiences
- local history
- cultural storytelling
Keywords
- food tours
- culinary tourism
- travel experiences
- local food
- cultural exploration
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: World Food Travel Association
Places: Manchester, Valencia, Malaysia
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