Toronto publisher CityBites Media – which produces the bi-monthly Toronto food magazine CityBites – has partnered with the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA) on a new publication called the Ontario Culinary Adventure Guide.
The 36-page handbook is dedicated to the province’s burgeoning culinary tourism scene, with articles dedicated to regional farmers’ markets, agricultural celebrations, taste trails, craft brewery and winery tours.
The launch issue features 13 pages of advertising from companies including GE and Via Rail. Dick Snyder, owner and editor of CityBites, said that ads have already been booked for the 2012 edition.
Approximately 50,000 copies of the guide were distributed through The Globe and Mail, while another 50,000 are being made available through Ontario Tourism Centres, restaurants and cafés, as well as other so-called “travel hubs” throughout the province. A digital version of the publication is also available at OntarioCulinary.com.
“Culinary tourism is obviously exploding around the world these days with massive interest in all things epicurean and local food,” said Snyder, who said that future plans for the guide include a more “robust” website as well as a mobile strategy.
“We really wanted to jump in and get a printed product out there, because we only really came up with this idea in December,” said Snyder. “But I think it’s imperative that we go digital [with a] mobile version of the website and probably a discovery-type app.
“I think there’s a natural fit with culinary tourism where you can get editorial, maps, directions and you can mine social media at the same time to see what people are saying about it.”
Rebecca LeHeup, executive director of the OCTA in Toronto, said culinary tourism is one of the fastest growing niche sectors of the tourism industry. Over the past two-and-a-half years, the OCTA has gone from working with just five destinations – Niagara, Toronto, Muskoka, Ottawa and Prince Edward County – to more than 30.
“Many destinations across the province have begun to recognize the value of developing culinary tourism experiences for the visitors to their destinations – both to stimulate the local economy and to add value to the experience for the visitor” said LeHeup. “People recognize that a great way to experience the local flavour is through finding restaurants that serve great local food and wines and beer.”
LeHeup said that Ontario is a microcosm of what’s happening both nationally and internationally, with provinces including Alberta, Nova Scotia and PEI, U.S. states such as Michigan, and countries including Ireland, Korea and Mexico all working to develop culinary tourism strategies.
