It is an activity that virtually 100% of tourists engage in. An activity that speaks to all five senses and offers insight into the local culture and people. An activity available year round, at any time of day and in any type of weather. What is this activity? Eating.

Under the banner of "culinary tourism", a term first coined in 1998, the relatively young sector is growing in size as more and more tourism operators and tourists alike realize that experiencing a destination through its food is not reserved only to upscale fine dining. The International Culinary Tourism Association, a non-profit trade association and leading authority on the subject, defines culinary tourism "as the pursuit of unique and memorable culinary experiences of all kinds". And while almost 18% of Canadian and U.S. travellers participated in a food, wine or beer tasting, the numbers would be much higher when taking into consideration all the opportunities for culinary tourism. From street vendors and local markets to exclusive eateries and tours of processing facilities, culinary tourism can, and does, happen on nearly every vacation.

In fact, according to the Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, "food is considered to rank alongside climate, accommodation and scenery in importance to tourists."

Culinary tourism poised for further growth, as many operators in Manitoba have already discovered.