What are the emerging trends of food tourism? What the challenges and the opportunities are for the actors involved in an industry that is increasingly growing despite the COVID-19 pandemic?

travellers are changing: they are active, more demanding, and look for a physical and mental welleness.
Travellers will become increasingly active: going hiking through vineyards, biking along dirt trails and increasingly equipped cycling routes, participating in collective harvest as well as sowing, pruning, milking, doing a holiday in contact with animals. They will also seek opportunities to restore their physical health and mental wellbeing, which have been severely impacted during the pandemic, such as wine and olive oil spas, outdoor relaxing activities, yoga courses, … There is room to develop experiences where travellers are active protagonist, they will be emotionally involved in harmony with themselves, the company, and the environment. Destination managers and suppliers will be required to strengthen their internal elements that are related to well-being and sustainability.
Educating travellers while encouraging their involvement in an improvement process will become central in future. This can be achieved through both the onsite and the virtual experiences as well as by combining storytelling techniques with gaming. Food producers will present themselves as ambassadors of an ‘evolved’ territorial society, whose attractiveness will depend on their ability to generate value for travellers, locals, and the entire community.

the journey does not end with the journey: the never-ending food tourism.
The journey does not end with the journey. The phases before and after the travel will respectively help travellers in preparing and accompanying themselves to the onsite visit and create an indelible memory of the experience.
Before their departure, technology will allow travellers to virtually visit food attractions, giving them the opportunity to make a more conscious choice. Food influencers, with chefs at the forefront, will inspire people, while digital tastings – which were offered by the most far-sighted companies to exceed the restrictions during the pandemic – will help producers to establish a warmer relationship with their real and potential visitors before their departure. Thanks to these experiences producers can bring their products directly to people homes and virtually stimulate them to take a visit later.
Afterwards, travellers that have been ‘conquered’ by the onsite experience will become ambassadors of the companies that they have visited during their holidays. As for instance, by sharing pictures and videos with relatives and friends, encouraging them to buy online and taste the companies’ products, involving them in a digital experience, joining food and wine clubs.

new spaces and new places.
Remote working will help the relaunch of rural tourism in a bleisure way, and small towns and villages will have the opportunity to become ideals places to live and to work closely with nature.
Wineries and farms can decide to host more business retreats and reunions in safety. They can take advantage of the growth of same-day visitors and of the new attractiveness of closer destinations, which have been triggered by the pandemic and the restrictions to movements between regions. Wine bars and restaurants in wineries as well as small events for the midweek after-work clearly have grown consequently.
The restart can generate benefits for restaurants offering local cuisine and historical bars, which have the potential to become obligatory stops for those seeking the authentic places and tastes. As well as for quality markets in urban centres, ‘treasure troves’ of locally produced food and wines.
The great success of ‘hybrid’ proposals (in-person dining, delivery and take away) will oblige traditional venues to rearrange their services as to remain competitive in the market and to offer attractive proposals. Digital tastings will have the chance to become hubs for online promotion of destinations, but only with investments in technological tools.