SACRAMENTO — In May of 2019, Visit California introduced a new Culinary White Paper that spotlights the opportunity to capture today’s culinary global traveler by differentiating California’s breadth, diversity, ethnicity and abundance.
In 2008, when culinary initiatives began it was an immersive but very niche opportunity limited to serious culinary travelers. However, over the past decade, insights unfolded showing culinary go from niche, to trend, to present day where culinary is a mainstream preoccupation in travel. According to the World Food Travel Association, today 93% of travelers have engaged in a unique or memorable food or beverage experience other than dining out. More importantly, global leisure travelers to California over-index on culinary activities and represent a high per-visit spend.
Historically Visit California has invested $22.7 million in paid media dedicated to culinary specific programming, delivering 3.15 billion global impressions. Their efforts to evolve with this with new culinary traveler catapulted into the release of the Culinary White Paper. The white paper reintroduces the Golden State as the epicenter of all things culinary and unveils Visit California’s new culinary platform — California Tasteblazers.
The California Tasteblazers platform differentiates the California culinary experience: year-round abundance, creative experimentation and innovation, and multiculturalism. In short, the new California Tasteblazers platform conveys an attitude that’s unparalleled to anywhere else in the country.
Future initiatives have already begun, including partnering with Michelin to launch the first ever state guide, expanding the reach of California Restaurant Month and an overall restructuring of culinary programming to envelop all regions within the state.
For more information or to download a copy of the Culinary White Paper visit industry.visitcalifornia.com.
–Visit California
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