Food Tourism – How and Why Agents Should Seize the Opportunity
by Robin Amster /This is the third in a series
Travel sellers are missing lucrative opportunities by not specializing in the growing niche of food tourism, according to a travel agent who is also a culinary tour operator.
“The agency community is not keeping up with what’s going on in the food tourism industry and that’s where they’re getting lost in the dust,” said Harold Partain, CTC, CCTP, founder and executive director of Dallas-based Epicopia Culinary Journeys.
“Because of this situation, consumers come to agents and knowing more than the travel consultant does,” he said. “This is a market agents need to become much more aware of.”
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Add a food component
A logical way for agents to get into food tourism is to add a food and wine component to a destination they already specialize in, Partain advised.
“Food is so universal,” he said. “If an agent is a specialist in say, travel to India or Southeast Asia, then why not bring in the food element?”
A travel agent for some 45 years, Partain is a senior partner in the McCabe Travel Group in Rockwell, Tex. He founded Epicopia in 2006 as McCabe’s food and wine tour division.
Long-held passion
Partain has always had a passion for food and wine. He began about 25 years ago putting together groups – particularly museum and college groups – at various companies he worked with.
“For museum groups especially, food was very important when they traveled,” he said. “I realized that it’s one of the markers for a culture along with art and music. And after analyzing what I’d been doing with all groups, I saw that nine out of ten times it’s the food that a group remembers. So why not make that the drawing point for the tour?”
Another catalyst for Partain’s move into food and wine tourism was 9/11 and, in its wake, the need to specialize, he added.
Get educated
Education is essential for entering the market and a good place to start is with the World Food Travel Association’s certification program, according to Partain. He is chairman of the organization’s board of directors and a mentor for its Certified Culinary Travel Professional program.
“There are some 13 major professionals involved in creating, producing and delivering a culinary tourism product,” he said. “For example, the biggest problem with most small groups tours is that every restaurant will want to offer the same thing to the group. You have to understand what’s unique about that restaurant so you can know what to ask for.”
Agents don’t have to seek new clients for food programs when they’re starting out, Partain said. “It’s not so much finding new clients as it is better serving the clients you already have. Find out if they have an interest in food; what do they watch, what are they reading?”
Beyond working with their current client base, agents must be willing to “get out there and talk and meet with people,” he said. Approaching local restaurants, chefs and wine shops present opportunities to put together culinary groups.
Partner with a tour op
Partnering with a knowledgeable tour operator is also crucial to entering the market, said Partain.
“If an agency belongs to a consortium then find out the tour operators who understand food tourism,” he said. “A lot will say they do, but they don’t. Any tour operator who does Italy, France and Spain, for instance, will say they can do a food program but all they want to offer is a restaurant.”
Still, Partain considers culinary programs from the large tour operators, as well as food-focused sailings on cruise lines, as “a stepping stone” for clients interested in food tourism.
“With the concept of wine tastings from these operators, for instance, people will catch on. They’ll go from a large group then to a small group of say 12,” he said.
Epicopia offers small groups culinary programs that vary in the depth of the food experience. The company offers commissions starting at 10%.
“If you have a food activity everyday it’s, of course, more intense than what you’d do for the casual culinary tourist,” Partain said. “And we still do sightseeing including, for example, the churches and museums in Italy. It’s a matter of blending the food program into the culture; helping clients understand how food relates to culture.”
Must have passion
Beyond education and partnerships, “passion is the key word” to selling food tourism, said Partain.
“Unless you’re excited about it, your clients won’t believe a word you say,” he said. “I’ve managed and owned companies and I know there’s a certain percentage of people who become passionate about what they can offer a client. Then there’s the agent who simply takes the order. That’s the easy way out.”
Related stories:
Part One: Tour Ops Embracing Growing Interest in Culinary Travel
Part Two: Food Tourism: Plenty on the Plate for Travel Sellers
