The World Food Travel Association (WFTA) has launched World Food Travel Market, the world’s first business-to-business marketplace for the culinary travel industry. WorldFoodTravelMarket.com is a secure online platform designed to connect trade buyers and sellers of culinary travel products. The idea was prompted by WFTA members, who sought new and creative ways to connect in a marketplace focused specifically on the food and beverage tourism industry.
It is the world’s first and only B2B marketplace for the industry, says the WFTA, which adds that the market will be a “powerful tool” for the business development of its members and the industry at large.
Buyers can search the association’s website for culinary tour operators, culinary tourist guides, culinary attractions and similar products and services, based on criteria like location, specific keywords, hours of operation and more, while sellers can showcase their full range of capabilities, their extensive digital content libraries, their own blog articles, and all of their social media links including TripAdvisor.
Every member’s microsite is available in up to 100 languages, allowing members to easily discover each other and do business together, no matter where they are located.
“There has never been an easier way for the food and beverage tourism industry to connect and do business,” says World Food Travel Market founder Erik Wolf. “And because World Food Travel Market exclusively serves the food and beverage tourism trade, members are not distracted by irrelevant content or businesses.”
“Our industry really needed a way to connect directly with other like professionals – in a way that was not previously available,” adds World Food Travel Market member Juan José Munozcano, owner of Spanish wine tour operator Madrid Experience. “The Market is exactly what I was looking for as a business owner.”
The World Tourism Organization valued the global culinary tourism market at $1,116.7 billion in 2019 and forecasts it to grow to $1,796.5 billion by 2027.
“The growth of culinary tourism is driven by an increase in government initiatives to promote tourism. Moreover, rise in affinity of people toward foreign dishes such as Sushi, various forms of prepared meat, snacks and more among others promotes the culinary tourism market growth,” notes the WTO.
It adds, “An increase in the social media trend of eating out in foreign lands has piqued the interest of tourists all around and has opened avenues for growth for the culinary tourism market.”
The WFTA was founded in 2003 as a non-profit and non-governmental organization whose mission is to preserve and promote culinary cultures through hospitality and travel. It serves approximately 200,000 members in over 150 countries and is recognized as the leading global authority on food/culinary/gastronomy tourism. More information can be found at WorldFoodTravel.org.