Exploring Food Tourism: A Marketing Opportunity for Producers

1. The Role of Food in Tourism & Tourism in Food A Marketing Opportunity for Food ProducersOctober 3rd 2007 Presented by: Una Fitzgibbon, Director Marketing Services, Bord Bia

2. Contents • What is food tourism • Why is food tourism important • Drivers of authenticity, provenance and affluence • Food tourism products • Who benefits from food tourism • Case studies of food tourism at various levels of scale • Bord Bia’s role in promoting artisan food producers

3. What is Food Tourism • Food tourism underlines the reciprocal role of food in tourism and tourism in food, the two are connected.

4. Obvious! • 86% of tourists dine for leisure.

5. Two Levels • Tourists who consume food as part of their overall travel experience. • Tourists whose activities, behaviours and destination selection is influenced by their interest in food.

6. Closing the Food Tourism Loop • When tourists return home they often aspire to purchasing or buying the food which they experienced on their holiday at home. • This has been a strategically important element of developing sales for food producers: • New Zealand Wines, • New Zealand Halal Meat, • Greek Olives, • French Cheeses…and

8. Why is Food Tourism is important? • It leads to a fast build of sales models in food • It allows the rural economic base to diversify via new agricultural and tourism products • It is an important instrument of regional development • In its specialist form can lead to levels of cooperation which have the potential to overcome the disadvantages that small enterprises face compared to large enterprises

9. Positioning for Food Reputation The fact that food is expressive of a region means that it can be used to differentiate destinations in a highly competitive globalising market place

10. We EAT What We ARE The fact that food is expressive of identity and culture means that it is an important component of cultural and heritage tourism

11. Food Reputation • NAPA VALLEY California • PROVENCE France • TUSCANY Italy • NIAGRA Ontario • YARRA VALLEY Australia

12. Local Produce

13. Higher importance attached to buying local in ROI Very Important (5) Fairly Important (4) Neither/Nor (3) Fairly Unimportant (2) Very Unimportant (1) Mean Score 3.4 2.9 3.1 (Base: All markets All Adults 15+)

14. The Six Consumer Lifestyle Trends

15. The real thing “I am looking for the real thing; I care where it comes from and how it is made”

16. People have more money to spend • There is a shift in affluence towards greater wealth – personal disposable income nearly doubled since 1960 • This shift will require more value added products to meet new needs Today’s Consumer Tomorrow’s Consumer Tomorrow’s Food Spend • Staple products will continue to have a role, but the greater opportunity will be for value-added productsand services 10%Poor 10% Affluent 80%– Middle Income 30% Survival Driven 40% Surviving Well - but fluctuations 30% Affluent 15% 40% 45% Source: Leo Burnett/MADE/Henley Centre

17. Australian Gourmet Traveller – Readership Profile

18. Consider the Role that Food Plays • Food • Is functional (sustains life) • Plays a key role in our celebrations • Is a conduit for socialising • Is entertaining • Is sensual • Allows for experience of new cultures • Allows for experience of new countries • Is symbolic • Is ritualistic • Can take on new significance and meaning

19. Food Tourism Products • The Food Tourism product is the experience of food as a leisure pursuit so for example it can include • dining in a restaurant, • visiting primary and secondary producers, • participating in food festivals, • taking a cookery class, • food tasting and/or experiencing the attributes of specialist food production • Regions are a primary motivating factor for travel.

20. Food Tourism becomes more specialised as tourists become motivated by the desire to experience a particular type of food or the produce of a specific region or even to taste the signature dishes of a particular chef.

21. Examples of Food Tourism Products

22. Food Tourism Product Quality • Highest of levels of food product offering • The gastronomic/culinary tourist who is attracted to a destination specifically for the ‘food’ interest must be provided with the highest level of specialist food experience. • The idea of ‘food experience’ has to be the best possible food experience and so Food Tourism must focus on the ideal of a goodfood experience in terms of ingredients, recipes, culinary skill, taste and memory.

23. Food Tourism Product Differentiation - Skill • Culinary or Cooking Skills are Important to Food Tourism • In an Irish Context this essentially this means the ability to prepare, cook and serve simple regional dishes of great taste.

24. Food Tourism Product Differentiation - Ingredients • Ingredients need to reflect the authenticity of the region • Irish food culture and heritage needs to be promoted down to a highly localised regional level • Traditional ingredients should be given centre stage and promoted and marketed with pride. • So the inventory of ingredients used and the dishes presented need to be authentic. • Porridge with local seasonal honey • Beef and barley soup with homemade brown soda bread. • Stuffed pork with seasonal vegetables and colcannon • Apple cake • Local cheese plate.

25. Food Tourism Product Differentiation - Recipes • What are the region’s dishes • Consider contemporary interpretation and presentation in order to capture the interest of the food tourist.

26. Regional/Local and Artisan Food has a Key Role to Play

27. WHO BENEFITS?

28. FOOD TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS Agriculture Transport companies, retail, services Place – town/rural area/ region Restaurant/café owners Cookery schools Festival owners Hotel/resort managers B&B/guesthouse operators Food producers Other manufacturing – craft, pottery, furniture Government - local and national

29. Interest for Policymakers • To maximise return from tourism development • To maximise return from indigenous food business • For regional development • For rural development

30. Food Tourism Links • The link to farming is fundamental to an agri food economy • Wood (2001) Vermont, USA study of tourism which had a significant food tourism component – • 84% of respondents said they value the farm landscape of Vermont • 59.4% said they would be less likely to visit Vermont if there were very few farms • Food is an important component for • The marketing of tourism • The experience of place • The likely visitor satisfaction levels

31. Advantages to small producers • Increased consumer exposure to product and to sample product • Building brand awareness and loyalty through establishing links • Creating relationships with customers • Increased margins • Additional sales outlet • Marketing intelligence on products • Marketing intelligence on customers • Educational opportunity

32. Wider benefits • Association with a quality product • Beyond the standardised product to authentic experience – leading to a stronger relationship with a destination • Motivator for visiting, staying, eating • Acts to extend length of stay

33. Some Case Studies

34. The World of Cookery Schools • The Cookery school product provides 4 elements: - rural, cultural, educational and special interest. • It provides both experience and knowledge. • It involves mainly short courses which are looked upon as a treat, being carefully planned and saved for. • They link food with the countryside (food gathering), which in turn provides recreation and relaxation. • Consumers anxious about searching out real food combined with a need to escape to a peaceful setting whilst gaining knowledge about their passion. • Cookery schools can be essential in developing a gastronomic cultural identity.

35. The Lure of Tea • Tourism has the potential to enhance the brand image and marketing of tea producing destinations. • With its colourful history and unique cultural traditions in different societies tea is a natural focus for travel. The histories and traditions of tea entice both the independent and the group traveller. Tea tourists attracted by tea travel – tourists experiencing the history, culture and traditions related to the consumption of tea. • Tea as a beverage with its varying types, grades, blends as well as national, regional and local traditions in serving has a natural role to play in culinary tourism.Tea can be compared to wine. • Tea Destinations – Japan, China, India, England. • A thematic approach is very often used in regional tourism development – a loyalty should exhibit a number of the following general characteristics related to tea – tea history, tea ceremonies, tea cultivation and production, tea manufacturing. • For Ireland, ‘The Lure of Whiskey’ ?

36. Food Trails in Austria • Food trails in Austria include wine roads, cider trails, cheese trails and oil trails which highlight co-operation between agriculture and tourism at the local and regional level. • To promote a wine road farmers established ‘Heurigen’, a typically Austrian form of direct marketing - a type of restaurant where farmers can serve drinks and foods that they produce. • All these trails started as producer and marketing associations that tried to find links with tourism and then developed a tourist product around an existing agricultural product of the region. • Trails can help to position and brand a region and to create a feeling of community among its inhabitants. Strategic partnerships are formed; farmers can sell more products and gastronomy, accommodation benefits by increasing number s of tourists. • The establishment of trails leads to very specialised forms of co-operation.