The Culinary Tourism Model
There are few topics currently receiving as much profile as the food related industries and for sheer entertainment we are hard pressed to discuss an example, which can rival this tourism segment. Over the past fifteen years we have witnessed a veritable explosion of interest in food, ranging from the obvious televised cooking shows, to the exploration of “Terroir” – the French passion for regional cuisine. Discussing the development of Culinary tourism can be a bit like navigating across a patch of quicksand. The substrate is there – before one’s eyes – but the substance itself can be deceiving and the results are often in doubt. So just what is Culinary tourism and how can you capitalize on this powerful tourism segment?

Culinary Tourism or more appropriately “Tourism driven by food and drink” is an attractive goal for any tourism region to achieve. It is a tangible, saleable asset, which can lend powerful support to any tourism region - and when developed to a mature state…Culinary Tourism, in its own right, can drive the economy.

In the New World, a great deal has been written on the topic. It has been characterized as THE answer, which some regions have been seeking to restore their tourism decline. It has been touted as the “next wave of tourism”…which might just be arriving. It has been undersold by most regions and oversold by various “food” enthusiasts in the business. What is clear to us, is that Tourism driven by food and drink has a long way to go in North America.

"Sacred cows make great hamburgers"

Anon

Burnett Thorne makes an open distinction between market ready product - near market ready product - and what can be described, as “product passively growing in the earth, swimming in the ocean, grazing in the fields and being served on the table - waiting to be recognized for its true worth. What is apparent to us is the huge amount of confusion in the public domain, about tourism, which is focused on food and drink.

At Burnett Thorne, we take a longer-lens view of how best to develop tourism driven by food and drink and we have developed a process by which this can be achieved. No two regions are alike. No two regions have the same mix of “grown assets” and no two regions can claim to have the same combinations of culinary elements. Therefore our approach is highly sensitized to any region and just as regional cuisine is a factor in our lives…regional culinary development is how we achieve results.

Our approach can best be described as “holistic” rather than driven by a set pattern or process. Yes…we do follow a prescribed product development process to move your culinary tourism product in the direction you want it to go. But just like regional cuisine’ we will carefully work with your “asset mix” and develop what makes sense for your region.