Gourmet magazine partnered with the Travel Industry Association of America last August to field its first-ever survey quantifying the size, the power and the impact of culinary travel among 2,005 American travelers and 568 Gourmet subscribers. (For more information, go to www.tia.com/researchpubs.)

This group travels and spends money when doing so!

  • 1. Culinary enthusiasts took an average of 6.8 domestic and international trips in the past year; that's 15% more than the average 5.9 trips taken by U.S. leisure travelers.
Travelers who enjoy wine and food tours generally spend more on vacation

  • 1. Culinary enthusiasts also spent an average of $1,455 on their last trip involving culinary activities; that's five percent more than the average U.S. leisure traveler expenditure of $1,380
Culinary travelers typically opt for educational activities, such cooking  lessons with gourmet chefs