If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring local cuisine while traveling—beyond tourist staples—you’re in luck. In 2025, culinary travel is hotter than ever, driven by immersive farm stays, UNESCO heritage dishes, and multi‑day cooking retreats that connect you deeply with culture.
Exploring local cuisine while traveling isn’t just about food anymore—it’s an adventure, an economic driver, and a cultural journey. In 2025, this trend has exploded into a diverse, meaningful movement. From hyper-local farm stays to UNESCO heritage traditions, here’s a deep dive into what’s shaping the future of culinary travel—and how you can savor these trends firsthand.
Why It Matters: The Significance Behind the Trend
1. Culinary Tourism Is Rapidly Growing
The global culinary tourism market was estimated at 11.5 billion US dollars in 2023 and is projected to soar to 40.5 billion US dollars by 2030, growing at a 19.9% CAGR.
This explosive growth reflects travelers’ increasing desire not just to see new places, but to taste, cook, and live their culture.
2. Economic and Cultural Payoff
Food‑centric travelers spend more—studies show culinary tourists spend 34% more per trip than average tourists. This benefits small businesses, farms, and entire communities.
3. Impact on Culture and Sustainability
Platforms like Airbnb report that about 30% of “Experiences” bookings are “food and drink” related, making culinary tourism a central decision factor for travel.
UNESCO has also newly recognized 11 culinary traditions on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list—spanning Korean jang sauces, Caribbean cassava bread, Japanese sake, and more—highlighting these as culturally vital and increasingly appealing to travelers.
Top Trends in 2025 for Exploring Local Cuisine While Traveling
Here are the most exciting, current trends driving how travelers experience cuisine in 2025:
1. Hyper-Local, Sustainable Dining & Regenerative Agritourism
Restaurants and tours now emphasize hyper‑local ingredients. In places like Scandinavia or Japan, travelers join foraging excursions led by chefs, then dine on what they’ve gathered.
Parallel to this is the rise of regenerative agritourism, where farm stays blend sustainability, culinary immersion, and wellness. Analysts estimate this market could reach 14.5 billion US dollars by 2029, and it’s part of a broader wellness tourism expansion worth over 1.35 trillion US dollars by 2028.
These immersive farm experiences combine cooking lessons with connection to the land—an increasingly popular way of exploring local cuisine while traveling.
2. Multi-Day Cooking Retreats & Immersive Programs
Cooking doesn’t stop at one-off classes—multi‑day retreats are booming. Imagine staying in a rustic Italian villa: harvesting olives in the morning, making pasta from scratch in the afternoon—that’s the new standard.
These retreats offer depth, authenticity, and a slow‑travel pace perfect for culinary enthusiasts.
3. Renaissance of Street Food & Night Markets
Street food is having a major revival: affordable, authentic, and flavorful. Cities are curating food tours and night markets that showcase local staples—think pad Thai in Bangkok, tacos al pastor in Mexico City.
These tours add local flavor (literally and culturally) and immersion in vibrant, lived spaces.
4. Food Cruises & Floating Feasts
Cruise lines are bringing culinary culture onboard. Expect themed food cruises with onboard celebrity chefs, regionally inspired menus, and excursions focused purely on local food.
This trend blends convenience with culinary discovery in a way that pays homage to each port.
5. Wellness-Driven Cuisine
A growing segment of travelers values healthy, plant‑based, or ayurvedic meals. Resorts in Bali or California are weaving wellness into every bite, offering menus that nourish both body and destination.
6. UNESCO-Recognized Culinary Traditions
Travelers increasingly seek experiences tied to cultural heritage. From sake‑making in Japan to cassava bread in the Caribbean, UNESCO’s additions spotlight deeply rooted food traditions that travelers can explore authentically.
Practical Guide: How to Explore Local Cuisine While Traveling in 2025
Here’s a practical roadmap to bring these trends to life during your next trip:
A. Choose Your Style of Culinary Travel
- Farm Stay & Foraging Experience: Perfect for sustainable living and cooking from scratch. Look for regenerative agritourism destinations—farm lodging in regions like Tuscany, Bali, or Portugal.
- Cooking Retreats: Ideal for hands‑on cooking experiences. Book multi‑day workshops in rural villas or cultural centers.
- Street Food Trails & Night Market Tours: If you prefer urban energy and variety, these tours offer the best taste of local flavors at once.
- Food Cruises: For a mobile, curated taste of multiple destinations without unpacking each day.
- Wellness Resorts or Spa‑Kitchen Hotels: Choose if you want nutrition‑focused menus and cooking with local superfoods.
- Heritage Culinary Journeys: Seek destinations that emphasize UNESCO‑recognized, preserved traditions for deep cultural connection.
B. Planning Steps
- Do your research: Use sources like travel‑trend reports, UNESCO heritage listings, or farm‑stay platforms to identify authentic experiences.
- Book in advance: Cooking retreats and farm stays often sell out.
- Set your priorities: Are you focused on wellness, sustainability, culture, food history, or tasting multiple destinations? Clarify this for better planning.
- Mix experiences: Combine, say, one immersive retreat, one street‑food tour, and a farm‑based wellness meal to balance immersion and variety.
- Support locals: Opt for experiences led by local chefs, farmers, or artisans to ensure your visit benefits the community.
C. Sample Itineraries (3 Options)
| Trip Type | Example Destination | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Foraging & Farm | Tuscany, Italy or Bali, Indonesia | Stay on a regenerative farm, harvest ingredients, cook with locals |
| Street & Retreat | Bangkok + Chiang Mai, Thailand | Street‑food night market tour, multi-day Thai cooking retreat |
| Heritage Focus | Japan’s sake region or Côte d’Ivoire | Explore sake traditions or cassava‑bread rituals with UNESCO ties |
Sources That Back Up the Trends
Your experience is grounded in solid research:
- Culinary tourism market stats – 11.5B US dollars (2023) to 40.5B US dollars by 2030, 19.9% CAGR.
- Spending patterns – Culinary tourists spend ~34% more per trip.
- Experiential growth on platforms – 30% of Airbnb Experiences are food‑and‑drink related.
- Multi‑day retreats, street food, food cruises, wellness cuisine – Detailed in Skyscanner’s 2025 guide.
- UNESCO culinary heritage additions – 11 new traditions added in 2024 listing.
- Regenerative farming trend & wellness synergy – Agritourism projected at 14.5B US dollars by 2029 and tied to the 1.35T US dollars wellness tourism growth.
Final Thoughts
Exploring local cuisine while traveling in 2025 means more than tasting—it means connection: to place, to tradition, and to community. Whether you’re gathering wild herbs in a remote forest, kneading dough at a village class, roaming night markets, or learning the sake craft from generations-old artisans, each experience tells a story.
As travelers, we now look for experiences that reward us with authenticity and impact—not just flavors on our plate.
References
- Long, L. M. (2017). Culinary tourism: Exploring the local flavors of travel. Routledge. https://doi.org
- Everett, S., & Slocum, S. L. (2013). Food and tourism: An effective partnership? A UK-based review. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21(6), 789–809. https://doi.org
- Richards, G. (2002). Gastronomy: An essential ingredient in tourism production and consumption. In A.-M. Hjalager & G. Richards (Eds.), Tourism and gastronomy (pp. 3–20). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com
