From salsa to donuts to oysters, you’re likely to find a food trail to follow that fits your palate. But do culinary trails drive tourism? We set out to find the answer. Keep reading to find out more.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail
It may be the one that started it all! Learn about the 25 year history of the trail and how “Booze Trails” can revive rural counties. The Hermann Wine Trail organizers have found that a set schedule of events has proven to be the secret sauce—not the traditional year-round trail map. Learn more.
West Virginia Pepperoni Trail
The Pepperoni Trail celebrates West Virginia’s official state food. According to Food & Wine, “the pepperoni roll has been a state favorite since the early 1900s, when Italian immigrants working in coal mines needed a convenient snack to eat on the job.” See the glorious 224 miles of roll bliss.
Pickled: A Fermented Trail
The prize for industriousness goes to Pennsylvania with not one, but five diverse fermented food and beverage trails. Think sour beer, pickles, kimchi, and miso. It goes to show you that a little creativity can help drive fun and business with the right theme. Learn more.
South Carolina’s Mobile Pass
South Carolina’s Pimento Cheese Passport is an app that allows visitors and residents to explore and enjoy various pimento cheese dishes at participating Columbia-area restaurants.
Consider an app reskin to affordably activate your own food trail.
We recommend CincyMusic. Their well-known app has been used to promote burger week across a number of DMOs (as well as many other food adventures). For less than $3,000, their digital team can have you up and running with your own branded event.
But does it work?
According to Grandview Horizon Research, the U.S. culinary tourism market generated a revenue of $2,310.1 million in 2023 and is expected to reach $7,638.0 million by 2030. They reported that the U.S. market is expected to grow at a rate of 18.6% from 2024 to 2030. In terms of segments, food festivals were the largest revenue generating activity in 2023. Culinary trails were the most lucrative activity segment, registering the fastest growth during the study period.
