The Tourism Development Company Limited in collaboration with the Tobago House of Assembly, Division of Tourism and Transportation hosted the first ever culinary press trip from October 12th to 17th which saw some of the best international journalists from publications such as Food Fanatics Magazine Chicago and contributors to the famed “Travel Detective “Peter GreenBerg website get a taste of the culinary fare that the destination has to offer.
Kicking off in Tobago, the journalists were treated to a Glass Bottom Boat ride and local indigenous cuisine which was a precursor to the main event, The Tobago Blue Food Festival. The festival provided a myriad of opportunities for the visitors to whet their palette with the tastes and flavours of the celebrated dasheen and it various by-products as well as other traditional Tobagonian delicacies.
In Trinidad, visits to the San Juan and Chaguanas market provided and introduction to our local fruits and vegetables and a journey further south of the Island in Debe gave a quick lesson in the art of making East Indian delicacies and sweets. The itinerary also included exposure to other island favourites such as doubles, breadfruit oil down, bake and shark and pepper sauce.
Speaking at the Rum and Chocolate Tasting Event held in their honour, Yolande Selman, Acting CEO, TDC said, “Trinbagonian food is a celebration of our rich multi-cultural heritage; it’s an infusion of the age old recipes that have created an eclectic taste that leaves visitors to our shores coming back for more. The main objective of the press trip is to increase the awareness of the gastronomic offerings available on both islands.”
A recent survey by the Travel Industry Association of America and the National Restaurant Association in the United States, found that for 25 per cent of all leisure travellers, food is central in deciding where they vacation; this figure doubles to just over 50 per cent for culinary tourists.
Moreover, according to the International Culinary Tourism Association on average food travellers tend to spend a significantly higher amount on food-related activities, spending on average around $1,200 per trip, with over one-third of their travel budget going towards food and are considered to be deliberate food travellers.
For more information, contact the TDC’s Corporate Communications Department at 675-7034 or email [email protected]
News International Journalists get a Taste of Trinidad and Tobago
