Indians prefer Goa and Italy for gastronomic holidays, finds survey

According to travel website TripAdvisor’s 2017 India Gastronomy Survey, Goa and Italy are the destinations Indians prefer when planning gastronomic holidays.

travel Updated: Dec 01, 2017 12:36 IST
While Goa emerged as the favourite domestic destination among Indians for a gastronomic holiday, globally Italy took the lead, followed by Thailand and France as places people would love to visit specifically for the cuisine.
While Goa emerged as the favourite domestic destination among Indians for a gastronomic holiday, globally Italy took the lead, followed by Thailand and France as places people would love to visit specifically for the cuisine. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Goa and Italy are on top of the mind for Indians when they plan gastronomic holidays, reveals a survey.

The finding is part of travel site TripAdvisor’s second edition of its annual 2017 India Gastronomy Survey. The survey was conducted to find out the key habits and preferences of Indians with respect to dining out, and how much food influences holiday planning.

One of the results of the survey – conducted online in the third week of November among TripAdvisor’s India survey panel – indicates that three out of five Indians are set to undertake a gastronomic getaway in 2018.

Indians frequent restaurants often (35% ‘one to two’ times per month and 33% once per week), but it gains more importance while travelling as 48% of the respondents said dining out and restaurant selection is important to their overall trip experience.

Within India, Goa is a top favourite with 49% voting for it, followed by Kerala (35%) and Lucknow (33%) as places people would love to visit specifically for the cuisine. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As many as 74% respondents said they have either planned or intend to plan a gastronomic getaway soon to a destination specifically ‘to try the food it is famous’ for and 71% of them said they even have plans to visit a ‘particular restaurant’ at their travel spot.

Within India, Goa is a top favourite with 49% voting for it, followed by Kerala (35%) and Lucknow (33%) as places people would love to visit specifically for the cuisine. Abroad, Italy takes the lead with 90%, with Thailand (34%) and France (26%) as other options.

“India is a gastronomical paradise with its wide array of cuisines and it is said that there is no better way to experience Indian culture than through food.The findings from the 2017 India Gastronomic Survey underscore the importance of food on holiday and that Indians are only set to become even more thoughtful about the foodie experiences they have whether they are travelling domestically or overseas,” Nikhil Ganju, country manager, TripAdvisor India, said in a statement.

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