The ultimate food fanatics: Booking.com reveals the nationalities most passionate about food, and Australians are No.5

• English, French and Germans, followed by Americans and Australians, are revealed as the nationalities most passionate about food, according to Booking.com reviews[i]
• Over half (54%) of global travellers say their favourite thing about travelling to a destination for the first time is trying the local food[ii]

Food tourism is very popular and no trip is complete without sampling the local cuisine and trying out new restaurants. As well as soaking up the local culture and scenery, we’re all hungry to indulge in delicious dishes away from home and taste something authentic. Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, has discovered the nationalities who are the most fanatical about food.

By analysing its traveller review data, including looking at the more than 118 million real traveller reviews on the site, Booking.com reveals the English, French and Germans as the most passionate foodies, featuring food in their reviews more than any other nationalities. But it’s not just the Europeans who have an appetite for global delicacies while on the road as they are closely followed by Americans and Australians.

From asado in Argentina, to seafood in Spain, travelling to new places and sampling delectable dishes not only tantalises the taste buds but creates memories and smells that can take you back to that moment of your trip. For over a third (36%) of global travellers, food is what they remember most vividly from the first time they travelled and over half (54%) of global travellers say the favourite thing about travelling to a destination for the first time is trying local foods[iii].

Reviews can offer invaluable insider advice for the best foodie haunts, with one in four people (26%) admitting they go online to look at local restaurant reviews within the first day of arriving in a destination and over half (54%) of those look less than an hour after getting there[iv].

Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com comments:

“From three-course gourmet meals to street vendor delights, food is a vital component of any trip and allows you to really, truly experience another culture. And there’s no better way to discover local culinary gems than by listening to other travellers who’ve been there and tasted that. Our millions of real reviews and traveller endorsements help you pinpoint the best places to stay in the best foodie locations, and with over 1.2 million unique properties, from tree houses to villas, city apartments and farm stays, whatever kind of exciting foodie travel experience you’re looking for, it’s easy to find and enjoy with Booking.com.”

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About Booking.com:

Booking.com is the world leader in booking hotel and other accommodations online. It guarantees the best prices for any type of property – from small independents to five-star luxury. Guests can access the Booking.com website anytime, anywhere from their desktops, mobile phones and tablet devices, and they don’t pay booking fees – ever. The Booking.com website is available in 43 languages, offers over 1.2 million accommodations including 651,583 vacation rental properties and covers 110,983 unique destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide. It features over 118M reviews written by guests after their stay, and attracts online visitors from both leisure and business markets around the globe. With over 20 years of experience and a team of over 15,000 dedicated employees in 199 offices worldwide, Booking.com operates its own in-house customer service team, which is available 24/7 to assist guests in their native languages and ensure an exceptional customer experience.

Established in 1996, Booking.com B.V. owns and operates Booking.com™, and is part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN). Follow us on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, like us on Facebook, or learn more at http://www.booking.com.

[i] Booking.com analysts looked at the count of reviews by nationality that mention food or related to food in the reviewer's local language

[ii] 18,496 respondents completed an online survey between 27th April and 15th May 2017 by Research Now (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan)

[iii] Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 respondents from the USA, Brazil, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Germany, China, India, and 500 respondents from the Netherlands, Croatia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Denmark, Belgium, and Sweden. In total, data from 15,077 respondents (18yrs +) was collected from 11 January to 30 January 2017.

[iv] 18,496 respondents completed an online survey between 27th April and 15th May 2017 by Research Now (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan)