(Host) Of an estimated 160 million Americans who travel for leisure, a survey shows that one in six have included a cooking class or a food-and-wine tour on a recent trip.
Industry officials say Vermont is well positioned to become a leader in the growing market for culinary tourism.
VPR’s Susan Keese has more.
(Keese) Maybe it’s the rise of the food network on television. Maybe it’s the growing interest in locally produced foods, or the French concept terroire, which glorifies a unique "taste of place."
Whatever it is, Katrina White says Culinary Tourism is the next big thing in attracting tourists – and their money.
(White) "Culinary tourism is travel for the purpose of experiencing a culture through its food and drink."
(Keese) White is the tourism and trade manager for the State of Rhode Island and a member of the International Culinary Tourism Association.
She recently spoke to an audience of innkeepers, food producers, and tourism professionals at a Southern Vermont Food Summit in Dover.
(White) "People want to know where their food is coming from. It is all about authenticity. Vermont is perceived as being unspoiled and being real , and that’s why the timing of what you’re doing now is so crucial."
(Keese) Vermont Agriculture Secretary Roger Allbee says the state is already doing culinary tourism.
People flock to Ben and Jerry’s to see the ice cream made. The state has its garlic, dairy, maple, turnip and blueberry festivals, just to name a few.
Allbee says "National Geographic Traveler" lists Vermont’s cheese trail as one of its "Drives of a Lifetime."
(Allbee) "So it’s going on but I think what’s exciting is that people are seeing how they can make it work better. How can we connect these things together so that all these activities, all these events can be on a Web site where people can go to it and they can learn what’s going on? How can they connect and how to get there if they want to spend their money?"
(Keese) To that end, the Department of Agriculture and the Vermont Fresh Network have launched an Agriculture and Culinary Tourism Council.
Thanks to Senator Leahy’s office, the council has half a million dollars in U.S. Department of Agriculture funds both this year and next.
Koi Boynton of the Department of Agriculture is coordinating the effort, which includes tourism officials and various food-based associations.
They’re starting by working on a Web site.
(Boynton) "We are looking to connect visitors and Vermonters to authentic farm and food experiences through this Web site. Currently there’s not really a single place on the Web to experience that. There’s a lots of individual Web sites, and individual organizations… and we want to build from and connect to these existing sites to really make it a gateway for culinary experiences in Vermont."
(Keese) Boynton says coordinating efforts by food producers and local and state hospitality groups is the key to becoming a leader in a promising industry.
For VPR News, I’m Susan Keese.