Coming up: Gastronomic tourism

Singapore stages biggest cuisines show

Gastronomic tourism is coming up as a form of special interest tourism globally. Here, food and beverages are the main motivating factors for travel to a desired destination.

Studies have shown that food plays an important part in the holiday experience of travellers, consciously or unconsciously.

Tourism authorities around the world are recognizing the potential of gastronomic tourism as a powerful tool to identify and promote places, regions or entire countries.

Global trends have identified that gastronomic tourists are looking for a more participatory style of holiday experience, which satisfies their interest in food and beverages and contributes to their personal development and social status or cultural capital. There is a shift from passive observation towards interactive involvement , whereby the visitor comes into close contact with locals and their way of life.

Increasingly food and beverages are becoming the main reason for travel. The challenge is to combine food, beverage and culture into a total tourism experience which is authentic and truly reflects the local and unique flavours of that particular country.

The World Cuisines Show 2008 (WCS 08), to be staged in Singapore from July 25-27, 2008, is a global marketplace where countries around the world gather under one roof to showcase their national cuisines and cultural activities. National tourism authorities from more than 130 countries have been invited to participate in this inaugural international event.

According to Singapore Food Expo (SFE) the longest running local food show in Singapore, visitorship has been exceeding 500,000 and in 2006, they have registered an all time high of 720,000 visitors.

Now, with the staging of the first ever World Cuisine Show 2008 in Singapore, it is expected to attract the same, if not more, number of visitors to experience the wide varieties of cuisines and culture that all the participating countries will bring under one roof said Sophie Xiao, the event director of the show.

National Tourism Authorities from more than 130 countries will be invited to promote and showcase their ethnic food, arts and culture to the domestic and international visitors who are expected to attend this event which will be held at the Singapore Expo.