Selling Travel 101: ‘Foodie’ Travel
by John Hawks

article continued from

1. Cruises that feature alternative restaurants or onboard cooking classes. This option is an excellent "entry level" choice for travelers who want to dip their toes in the water without spending a huge amount of money on a culinary-themed vacation.

A trend that began with Norwegian Cruise Line's Palm Tree Restaurant on the "Seaward in 1998, alternative dining venues on cruise ships are now very commonplace. And, lines like Holland America have plans to expand in this category with their new onboard "Culinary Arts Center" classrooms designed by Food & Wine magazine editors.

2. A long-weekend getaway to a food festival or culinary event. You can combine the festival event with other activities in the host city for a fun three- or four-day city package.

Here's a link to a comprehensive list of major food festivals. Now, you can simply pair your favorite city packages with the appropriate food festival, and you're ready to offer a great weekend getaway to your clients!

3. Packaged trips centered around culinary experiences in a specific region of the world, with an emphasis on enjoying food and wine (without learning how to cook what you're enjoying!)

Your best bet on this option is talking with your preferred tour operators. Many "off the shelf" operators now offer more dining options on their standard itineraries -- and, a growing number of mainline tour companies now offer "FIT"/independent customizing options so that you can add more culinary outings to your clients' itineraries.

4. Packaged trips with cooking classes taught by leading chefs in a culinary institute or hands-on classroom, typically in popular culinary destinations such as California, France, Italy, Mexico, New York, or Spain

Check these Web sites -- Avalon Tours, Epiculinary, and The International Kitchen -- for an overview of the types of cooking-class vacations available these days. Caution: Before you book with any culinary travel company, be sure that you confirm in advance (and in writing) its commission rates and policies for travel agents. Many of these packagers are small operators who don't always pay agents for bookings.

(Have you grown your home-based travel business by tapping niches like this? If you'd like to share your success story, send us an email telling us how you did it! We may share your advice in a future issue.)