Restaurants championing local food and food festivals big draw for domestic tourists
With British Food Fortnight (21 September to 6 October) in full swing, the marketing board's figures from last month's survey into participation and interest in food-related activities on holidays in England, show that British food is big business for tourism, particularly when delivered within hospitality.
According to the survey, which questioned 1,253 UK adults on their holiday foodie habits, 29 per cent on holiday and 31 per cent on day trips have dined somewhere serving local food and produce in the last year while 21 per cent on holiday and 23 per cent on day trips bought food that was local to their destination.
And while figures have grown for those who have taken food-related trips in the last year, it is set to grow further with more than half of those questioned saying they were likely to involve food in their next domestic holiday with pubs, restaurants and other hospitality outlets serving local food and retailers selling it set to benefit the most (76 per cent and 68 per cent respectively).
Food festivals
While farmers' markets and food festivals do not directly affect a hospitality business's profits, they are a key driver of visitors to an area which in turn can boost trade and chefs who participate in them can boost their own and their restaurant's profile.
Last year 13 million day visits involved a trip to a food festival or farmers’ market and 26.2 million of us want to go to a food festival this year, showing they can be a big driver for tourist trade.
In Leeds, the number of people visiting its food festival this year was up 20 per cent on last year which organisers believe could improve yet again next year.
Those aged under 45 with children aged between five and nine are most likely to have a food-related holiday with 69 per cent likely to visit food festivals, 70 per cent to farmers' markets and 85 per cent to visit restaurants serving local produce while those in the higher ABC1 social grades are also more interested than those in lower social grades in a food-related break.
