Tourism and food have always worked well together and have a natural connection. After all, people need to eat! But the tourism business is ripe with people traveling purposely for certain culinary experiences. These places may just be extremely highly rated, be featured in a TV show or movie, or even based around shows. Here’s a look at some of the popular places included in culinary tourism around the U.S. What can your attraction or destination do to capitalize on the trend in 2017?
Rue La Rue Café, Manhattan
Are you a Golden Girls fan? The show may now be off the air, but there is something to be said for Netflix. Now you can dine surrounded by genuine Golden Girls memorabilia. Yes, definitely genuine as the Washington Heights Rue La Rue Café is co-owned by actress Rue McLanahan’s son Mark Bish and executor of her estate Michael J. LaRue. You’ll find an archive of McLanahan’s own memorabilia from the show, and of course, there is cheesecake.
Café du Monde, New Orleans
In the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans stands the open café called Café du Monde. Established in 1862, this is one of the biggest tourism businesses in the whole of the city. The history of the coffee served also dates back to this time. As there was a coffee shortage, the Creoles in New Orleans created their own chicory blen
d, making the area famous for its café au lait. There is a limited menu, but that didn’t stop me from going there 3 times during the last week I spent in NOLA. There are almost 23,000 Trip Advisor reviews and over 4800 photos posted to TripAdvisor by reviewers! It is an experience eating there and inexpensive. Every destination should be so lucky to have such an icon.
What about attractions and food?
So if you aren’t a restaurant there are still plenty of ways to incorporate food into the experience of the visit. Most museums and attractions have caught on to the local food trend and serve at least some local foods or beverages. Don’t make the mistake of serving food from Sysco only, add in some local favorites.
George Eastman Museum– This Rochester NY based museum highlights the life and legacy of George Eastman, who invented Kodak film and the Brownie camera. The cafe there serves lemon meringue pie which was his favorite dessert. Easy to implement and a great way to add another element to the experience
Graceland– The home of Elvis is an iconic destination in Memphis. Does it surprise you that one of their food outlets is called Shake, Rattle and Go, or that Glady’s diner serves Elvis’ favorite food; a peanut butter and banana sandwich? They know how to capitalize on food and tourism tie-ins.
If you are an attraction, reach out to local food producers and see how you can partner. Even something as simple as a local mustard on a sandwich is a good start. (Then make sure to sell it in your gift shop!) If your attraction serves alcohol, partner with a local brewery or winery.
Take advantage of Yelp and Trip Advisor
I am a big fan of both Yelp and Trip advisor as a tool for small (and large) tourism businesses. Their free resources and ability to reach thousands of potential guests have certainly leveled the playing field when competing with major chains and advertisers. I think that Trip Advisor is used before a guest arrives at a destination more than Yelp. I find that Yelp is used more once the visitor is in the destination.
Yelp
While Trip Advisor focuses on tourism businesses, Yelp is a generalist and gives reviews of nail salons, dry cleaners and car repair shops among others. Another difference is that TripAdvisors actively asks for reviews and Yelp does not. That being said, if you are an attraction it makes sense to be on both sites. As we know, more people are waiting until they are in a destination and using their mobile devices to make decisions. Personally, I use Yelp for restaurants when I travel because the mapping feature works so well. I tend to post reviews more to TripAdvisor, although when I recently posted one on Yelp from 
a NYC restaurant called Hells Kitchen, I got a nice response from the manager! Here is the link to claim your business listing and get some free resources.
Last thoughts
TripAdvisor has the market share of tourism review sites and has free resources for businesses as well. I am a huge fan of TripAdvisor but I still think Yelp wins in the food category. What apps do you use? To find new places to eat, or to get the word out about your attraction?