Nirav Gandhi,

President, Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India)

HRAWI

1. How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India, influencing where travellers choose to go and how they experience a destination?

– Culinary tourism has evolved from being a delightful accompaniment to travel into a primary motivator for it. Today, travellers are not just visiting destinations and sampling local food, they are choosing destinations because of the food. This is a fundamental shift in how India travels. We are witnessing this transformation across Western India. Food trails, cooking classes, farm-to-table experiences and culinary festivals are now integral to the tourism offerings of these destinations. Social media has accelerated this trend. A single viral reel about a hidden gem or a regional delicacy can drive thousands of travellers to a previously unknown destination. The Indian traveller is more adventurous, more curious and more willing to explore than ever before and food is their gateway to understanding a place, its people and its culture.

For the hospitality industry, this presents immense opportunities. Hotels and restaurants are curating immersive culinary experiences including chef led market tours, heritage recipe revivals and seasonal menus that celebrate local produce. Restaurants have become destinations in themselves, with travellers planning entire itineraries around iconic dining experiences. We see culinary tourism as a powerful driver of regional economic growth. It supports local farmers, artisans and food producers while creating employment across the value chain. As we look ahead, we must invest in preserving our culinary heritage, training our chefs in regional cuisines and promoting India’s extraordinary food diversity on the global stage.

2. How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations, create local employment and generate greater economic value for communities?

– India’s culinary diversity is perhaps its most underutilised tourism asset. Every region of our country carries centuries of food heritage with unique ingredients, cooking techniques, and dining traditions that tell the story of its people and land. Yet, we have barely scratched the surface of what food tourism can do for our lesser known destinations. The hospitality industry has a critical role to play here. When we actively champion regional cuisines through our menus, at our events and through curated food experiences; we do far more than serve a meal. We create a gateway for travellers to discover destinations they may never have considered.

The multiplier effect of culinary tourism is significant. Local farmers, artisanal producers, home chefs and small eateries all benefit when food becomes a reason to travel. When hotels and restaurants source locally and celebrate indigenous produce, we keep economic value within the community rather than exporting it to urban supply chains. HRAWI strongly advocates for structured food tourism frameworks including culinary trails, certified regional food experiences and collaborations with State tourism boards to build awareness and accessibility around such gastronomic gems. We also believe hospitality training institutions must embed regional cuisine deeply into their curricula, so the next generation of chefs carries this knowledge forward with pride.

India does not need to borrow from the world to attract the world. Our diversity is our greatest strength. If we invest in it deliberately and inclusively, food tourism can be a powerful engine for employment, rural development and sustainable economic growth for communities that truly deserve to be on the map.

3. What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play in building authentic, sustainable and globally appealing culinary tourism experiences?

India’s culinary tourism ecosystem thrives on the collaboration between hospitality leaders, standalone dining landmarks, tourism boards, and local food entrepreneurs. By preserving regional heritage, practicing sustainable sourcing, and offering immersive dining storytelling, these stakeholders transform daily meals into world-class cultural attractions. A premier blueprint for this synergy is Mandap, The Authentic Gujarati Thali Restaurant, located inside the Hotel Express Towers in Vadodara, Gujarat, which illustrates how regional heritage can be elevated into a globally appealing culinary experience.

4. With GI-tagged foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals gaining tourism relevance, how can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

– India is sitting on a goldmine of culinary heritage, and the growing global appetite for authentic, immersive travel experiences means the timing has never been better to act with intention and structure. GI tagged foods are a powerful starting point. A tag is not merely a certification; it is a story, a provenance and a promise of authenticity. When we build travel experiences around GI-tagged products like Darjeeling tea, Alphonso mangoes or Malabar pepper, we give discerning travellers a compelling reason to visit the source. The destination becomes the experience itself.

Similarly, India’s ancient spice routes hold enormous untapped potential. These are not just trade corridors from history; they are living, breathing trails that connect communities, flavours and landscapes across our coastline and heartland. With the right tourism infrastructure and storytelling, spice route journeys can rival the world’s most celebrated culinary trails. Food festivals, when curated thoughtfully, move beyond entertainment to become cultural embassies. We believe these events must be elevated from one-day showcases to multi-day immersive programmes incorporating cooking master classes with local artisans, farm and market visits, heritage walks and community dining; creating meaningful touch points that travellers will pay a premium for and return to.

State tourism boards, hospitality players, local Governments, and culinary institutions must align around a common framework, one that maps culinary assets, trains local guides and hosts, maintains quality standards and markets India’s food trails internationally with the same vigour we apply to monuments and landscapes. Traditional recipes passed down through generations are as much a national treasure as any UNESCO site. It is time we treated them accordingly and built an industry around preserving, celebrating and sharing them with the world.

5. How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem—including farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, hotels and local communities?

– Culinary tourism creates economic value well beyond the restaurant or hotel where a traveller eats. Food is increasingly becoming a reason to visit a destination, and this creates an ecosystem of opportunities extending from the producer to the consumer. For farmers and local food producers, the growing interest in regional and authentic cuisine can create stronger demand for indigenous ingredients, traditional produce and locally sourced products. This can encourage the preservation and commercialisation of food practices that may otherwise remain limited to their immediate communities. For MSMEs, it opens opportunities across food processing, artisanal products, packaged foods, specialty ingredients, catering and food experiences.

Hotels and restaurants are important bridges between these producers and travellers. By incorporating local ingredients, traditional recipes and regional culinary experiences into their offerings, hospitality establishments can create distinctive experiences while generating demand for local supply chains. Food festivals, farmers’ markets, culinary trails, cooking experiences and destination specific dining can further extend this economic activity beyond the premises of a hotel or restaurant.

There is also a strong cultural dimension to this opportunity. India’s culinary diversity is closely connected to its history, communities and regional identity. When local cuisine becomes part of the visitor experience, it creates an economic incentive to preserve traditional recipes, ingredients and food knowledge while presenting them to a wider audience. For the hospitality industry, the opportunity is therefore not simply to serve food, but to connect visitors with the people, produce and traditions behind it.

6. What role can initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play in building India’s culinary tourism infrastructure and taking food tourism beyond major cities?

– Initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and Dekho Apna Desh can play an important role in taking culinary tourism beyond India’s established tourism centres by making food an integral part of destination development rather than treating it as an ancillary experience. Swadesh Darshan 2.0 already follows a destination and tourist centric approach, with emphasis on local communities, capacity building and entrepreneurship across the tourism value chain. As mentioned earlier Culinary experiences can be incorporated into destination plans through local food streets, regional food trails, farmers’ markets, community kitchens, culinary festivals and experiential dining. This can help create identifiable food led attractions in smaller cities, towns and rural destinations, while generating opportunities for local farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, homestays and hospitality businesses.

Dekho Apna Desh can complement this physical development through storytelling, digital promotion and campaigns that encourage travellers to discover India’s regional cuisines and the communities behind them. The Ministry has already used the initiative to engage citizens around their preferred tourism experiences and attractions.

The next step should be to connect these initiatives with a stronger farm-to-table and community led tourism ecosystem. Destination development should include training in food safety and hospitality, support for local entrepreneurs, improved hygiene and sanitation, appropriate food infrastructure and better market access. If Government programmes, local administrations and the hospitality industry work together to develop and promote these experiences, food can become a powerful reason to travel to lesser known destinations.

Nivedan Kukreti,

General Manager, Taj Corbett Resort & Spa.

How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India, influencing where travellers choose to go and how they experience a destination?

Culinary tourism is no longer just about what travellers eat during a holiday; it is increasingly influencing where they choose to travel in the first place. Guests today want experiences that help them connect with the culture, heritage and people of a destination through its food. At Taj Corbett Resort & Spa, we often find that guests are just as excited to discover the flavours of Uttarakhand as they are to explore the forests of Corbett. Whether it is enjoying a traditional Kumaoni Thali, dining by the Kosi River, or learning about indigenous ingredients such as mandua, jhangora and bhatt, these experiences create a genuine connection with the region. Food becomes a window into local life, making the destination more memorable and meaningful.

How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations, create local employment and generate greater economic value for communities?

India’s culinary diversity has the power to place lesser-known destinations firmly on the tourism map. Every region has unique ingredients, recipes and food traditions that tell the story of its people and culture. In the Kumaon region, traditional dishes made using mandua, jhangora, bhatt ki dal and seasonal mountain produce offer visitors a distinctive taste of Uttarakhand. At Taj Corbett Resort & Spa, we actively source many of these ingredients locally, creating opportunities for farmers, producer groups and self-help groups in the surrounding communities. By celebrating regional cuisines, destinations can attract travellers seeking authentic experiences while creating sustainable livelihoods and preserving local traditions.

What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play in building authentic, sustainable and globally appealing culinary tourism experiences?

Authenticity is at the heart of successful culinary tourism. Hotels and restaurants have a responsibility not only to serve local food but also to preserve the stories and traditions behind it. At Taj Corbett Resort & Spa, some of our most appreciated regional dishes are prepared by local women from the community whom we have welcomed into our culinary team. Their knowledge of traditional recipes and cooking techniques ensures that the flavours presented to guests remain true to their roots. Alongside this, we source local ingredients wherever possible and work with community groups to strengthen the local supply chain. When combined with support from tourism boards and local entrepreneurs, these efforts help create tourism experiences that are both authentic and economically sustainable.

With GI-tagged foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals gaining tourism relevance, how can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

India’s culinary heritage offers immense opportunities to create curated, high-value tourism experiences. Food trails, regional gastronomy festivals, farm-to-table journeys and heritage dining experiences can all encourage travellers to engage more deeply with a destination. At Taj Corbett Resort & Spa, guests particularly enjoy experiences that combine local storytelling with traditional Uttarakhand cuisine and the natural beauty of the region. Experiences such as our Kumaoni Thali offerings allow visitors to understand the history, ingredients and cultural significance of the dishes they are enjoying. By creating structured culinary circuits around regional food heritage, India can elevate food tourism into a distinctive and globally competitive travel segment.

How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem—including farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, hotels and local communities?

One of the most impactful aspects of culinary tourism is the way it benefits multiple stakeholders beyond the hospitality sector. At Taj Corbett Resort & Spa, we actively source local produce and ingredients from nearby communities, helping support farmers, producer groups and self-help groups while bringing authentic flavours to our guests. Increased demand for local grains, vegetables, spices, honey and traditional food products generates opportunities across the supply chain, from cultivation and processing to packaging and hospitality. We also showcase locally produced products through our retail outlets within the resort, including products from the Government of Uttarakhand’s “House of Himalayas” initiative, enabling guests to take a part of the destination home with them while supporting local enterprises.

What role can initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play in building India’s culinary tourism infrastructure and taking food tourism beyond major cities?

Government-led initiatives can significantly accelerate the growth of culinary tourism by creating infrastructure, promoting regional identities and encouraging experiential travel. Destinations such as Corbett are already known for wildlife and nature, but food can provide travellers with another compelling reason to visit and stay longer. Programmes such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and Dekho Apna Desh can help develop culinary trails, strengthen local producer networks, support food festivals and promote destination brands built around regional cuisine. By bringing greater visibility to regions such as Kumaon and supporting local food ecosystems, these initiatives can ensure that tourism growth reaches communities directly while preserving India’s rich culinary heritage.

Rubin Cherian,

General Manager

Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC

1. How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India, influencing where travellers choose to go and how they experience a destination?

Culinary tourism has evolved from being an element of travel to becoming an experience in its own right. Travellers today increasingly want to understand a destination through its food—its ingredients, cooking techniques, traditions and the stories behind them. In India, this creates an extraordinary opportunity because every region has a distinct culinary identity.

At Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC, we see food playing an increasingly important role in the overall guest experience, particularly for MICE and bleisure travellers. A conference delegate may arrive for business, but their memories of Hyderabad can also be shaped by the cuisine they experience, the local ingredients they discover and the cultural context behind a dish.

Hyderabad itself is an excellent example of how food can become a gateway to a destination. Its culinary heritage, from traditional Hyderabadi preparations to the broader flavours of Telangana and the Deccan, offers visitors an experience that goes beyond conventional sightseeing.

For hotels, culinary tourism is also an opportunity to make dining more experiential, through chef-led experiences, regional menus, local sourcing and storytelling. The future of culinary travel in India will be about moving from simply asking, “What can I eat here?” to “What can this food tell me about this place?”

2. How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations, create local employment and generate greater economic value for communities?

India’s culinary diversity provides a powerful opportunity to take tourism beyond the traditional gateway cities. Every region has ingredients, recipes, food traditions and culinary communities that can become tourism assets when presented authentically.

The key is to build experiences around the ecosystem rather than simply promoting a dish. Visitors can be taken to local farms, traditional kitchens, food markets, artisan producers and community-run establishments, allowing them to understand how food travels from the producer to the plate.

This approach can create economic opportunities for farmers, small food producers, home chefs, artisans, guides, transport providers and local hospitality businesses. It also encourages visitors to spend more time in a destination, increasing the economic value generated per traveller.

At Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC, we see the value of connecting hospitality with the local destination. Our culinary approach includes fresh, seasonal and locally sourced produce, while our event experiences can incorporate local highlights and cultural experiences for delegates. This allows business travellers to experience Hyderabad beyond the convention venue.

For lesser-known destinations, culinary tourism can therefore become a bridge between tourism and local enterprise, creating employment while helping preserve regional food traditions.

3. What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play in building authentic, sustainable and globally appealing culinary tourism experiences?

The strongest culinary tourism experiences will come from collaboration rather than isolated efforts. Tourism boards can create destination narratives and infrastructure; hotels and restaurants can provide professional platforms and consistency, and local food entrepreneurs can bring authenticity and cultural depth.

Hotels have a particularly important role because they are often the first point of contact for travellers. At Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC, we look at dining not simply as a service but as part of the destination experience. Our chefs work with fresh, seasonal and local produce, while our culinary offerings can cater to both international expectations and local preferences.

The opportunity is to introduce visitors to regional cuisine without losing its authenticity. This can include chef-led regional menus, local ingredient showcases, curated food trails, traditional cooking experiences and collaborations with local producers.

Sustainability must also be part of the equation. Responsible sourcing, minimising food waste and supporting local suppliers ensure that culinary tourism creates value beyond the dining table.

When hotels, tourism authorities, local communities and entrepreneurs work together, food becomes more than a hospitality offering, it becomes a vehicle for destination storytelling, cultural preservation and inclusive economic development.

4. With GI-tagged foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals gaining tourism relevance, how can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

India can move from promoting individual foods to creating complete culinary journeys around them. A GI-tagged product, for example, can become the starting point for an experience that includes its origin, production process, local community, traditional preparation and final tasting.

Similarly, traditional recipes and historic spice routes can be developed into themed itineraries combining food, culture, heritage and nature. Food festivals can evolve beyond short-duration events into platforms that encourage travellers to explore the destination itself.

Hotels can play a role by acting as experience curators. At Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC, our location, culinary offerings and ability to host large-scale events give us an opportunity to introduce delegates and leisure travellers to Hyderabad’s food and cultural identity.

The focus should be on authenticity, storytelling and quality rather than simply increasing the number of food experiences available. When travellers understand the people and traditions behind what they are eating, the experience becomes more memorable and valuable.

A structured culinary tourism ecosystem can ultimately encourage longer stays, higher local spending and greater visibility for regional destinations.

5. How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem—including farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, hotels and local communities?

Culinary tourism has a multiplier effect because the experience begins well before the guest sits down at a restaurant. It involves farmers, fishermen, food producers, processors, transporters, artisans, chefs, restaurants, hotels, guides and local entrepreneurs.

When hospitality businesses source locally and responsibly, more of the economic value can remain within the destination. It can also encourage demand for indigenous ingredients and traditional production methods that might otherwise decline.

At Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC, our culinary operations place importance on fresh, seasonal and local produce, while our event menus are designed to accommodate diverse preferences and dietary requirements.

For MICE destinations such as Hyderabad, the opportunity is particularly significant. Large conferences and events bring thousands of visitors who can experience local cuisine while creating demand across the wider hospitality ecosystem.

The next step is to make these connections more visible to travellers. When guests understand where ingredients come from and who produces them, food becomes a direct connection between tourism and the local economy.

6. What role can initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play in building India’s culinary tourism infrastructure and taking food tourism beyond major cities?

Government-led destination development programmes can provide the infrastructure and framework required to take culinary tourism deeper into India. Initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and Dekho Apna Desh can help destinations move beyond conventional sightseeing and develop experiences around local culture, cuisine, crafts and communities.

The opportunity is to identify culinary clusters and connect them with better roads, signage, visitor facilities, digital discovery, trained local guides and hospitality infrastructure. Challenge-based destination development can also encourage local innovation by bringing together entrepreneurs, communities and tourism stakeholders to solve destination-specific challenges.

The private hospitality sector can complement this by creating demand and connecting travellers with these experiences. At Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC, we already see the value of integrating local highlights, tours and cultural experiences into MICE programmes, allowing delegates to experience Hyderabad beyond the convention environment.

The objective should be to build a connected ecosystem where food is not an isolated attraction but part of a broader destination experience.

Mahesh Padala

General Manager

Courtyard by Marriott Madurai

1. How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India?

At Courtyard by Marriott Madurai, we have seen how food can become a genuine gateway to a destination. We have consciously moved beyond treating our restaurants as dining venues and created experiences such as The Southern Treasures, The Rowther Legacy Brunch Tales, Namma Veetu Kalyanam, Pongal Santhai and Sarakku Norukku, where cuisine is connected with culture, heritage and storytelling. The Southern Treasures, for instance, brought four South Indian culinary identities to Madurai through four chefs, four states and four weekends. Experiences like these demonstrate that guests are not only looking for a meal; they are looking for a story, a connection and something they can take away from the destination.

2. How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations?

I believe India’s regional cuisines can become powerful destination ambassadors. We have seen this through our own culinary programming, where we have brought Kongunadu, Arcot, Bengal, Amritsar, Kerala and other regional food cultures to our guests in Madurai. These experiences create curiosity about the people, history and traditions behind the cuisine. At the same time, working with regional chefs and local producers creates opportunities beyond the hotel itself. If hotels, tourism boards and local entrepreneurs collectively build such experiences, food can encourage travellers to explore destinations and communities they may otherwise overlook.

3. What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play?

Hotels can provide the platform, but authenticity comes from the people and stories behind the cuisine. At our hotel, we have worked with chefs and culinary concepts to bring regional identities to life rather than simply changing a menu. The Southern Treasures, for example, brought together chefs from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, supported by regional storytelling and cultural elements. Similarly, The Rowther Legacy Brunch Tales connected food with Madurai’s heritage. I believe tourism boards, hotels, chefs and local entrepreneurs need to work together to create experiences that are authentic enough to represent a region and professionally curated enough to appeal to today’s traveller.

4. How can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

Our experience with The Southern Treasures showed us that a culinary concept becomes far more engaging when it is designed as a journey rather than simply a menu. We brought four chefs, four states and four weekends together, supported by regional storytelling and cultural expressions such as Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, Yakshagana and Kuchipudi. Similarly, concepts such as Pongal Santhai and Namma Veetu Kalyanam used traditional celebrations as the foundation for immersive dining. I see significant potential to build similar bookable culinary trails around GI products, festivals, traditional recipes and regional food cultures. The opportunity is to package India’s culinary heritage as an experience, not just a cuisine.

5. How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem?

Culinary tourism creates value far beyond the restaurant. When we develop regional culinary experiences, we engage chefs, producers, suppliers and creative partners, while also creating a platform for regional ingredients and food traditions. The Southern Treasures, for example, brought visiting regional chefs and their culinary knowledge directly to guests in Madurai. Experiences such as these create visibility for the wider ecosystem while giving travellers a reason to discover something new. I believe hotels can play an important role in connecting local and regional producers with a larger tourism audience, turning the hotel kitchen into a link between the destination’s communities and the traveller.

6. What role can Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and destination-development initiatives play?

These initiatives can help create the larger ecosystem in which experiences like culinary tourism can thrive. From our experience, a destination becomes more compelling when food, culture and heritage are presented together. Madurai has an extraordinary culinary identity, and hotels can complement the destination by introducing guests to experiences around local food, traditions and communities. With stronger connectivity, digital discovery, visitor infrastructure and public-private collaboration, emerging destinations can build their own culinary narratives. I believe the next opportunity is to look at food as part of destination development itself, rather than as a standalone hospitality offering

Rajib Roy Choudhury
AVP – Vedic Village Spa Resort

How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India?

Culinary tourism is increasingly becoming an integral part of the travel experience in India. Travellers are no longer looking at food simply as a necessity; they want to understand a destination through its flavours, ingredients, traditions and stories. Regional cuisine is becoming a powerful reason to visit a particular destination and an important part of the overall memory of a trip.

India has a natural advantage because every region offers a distinct culinary identity. From Bengali cuisine and coastal seafood to Rajasthani, Awadhi, Goan, Kerala and North-Eastern traditions, food can provide travellers with an authentic connection to place and culture.

At Vedic Village Spa Resort, we see an opportunity to combine culinary experiences with the destination’s cultural and rural character. Experiences such as traditional Bengali cuisine, farm-to-table dining, local ingredients, curated food festivals and interactive culinary storytelling can make a stay more experiential.

The future of culinary tourism will therefore move beyond restaurants towards food-led experiences—cooking demonstrations, market visits, farm experiences, heritage recipes, regional food trails and curated gastronomic events. This creates additional reasons to travel, longer stays and greater spending across the destination.

How can India leverage regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations?

India can use regional cuisine as a powerful destination-marketing tool by connecting food with the geography, history and communities that produce it.

Lesser-known destinations can develop distinctive culinary identities around indigenous ingredients, traditional recipes, local farming practices and food traditions. Instead of promoting only monuments and landscapes, destinations can tell the story of their food—from the farmer and producer to the kitchen and dining table.

This approach can create employment for local cooks, farmers, guides, artisans, food producers and small businesses. It can also encourage travellers to stay longer and spend within the local economy.

For example, a destination could develop a structured culinary trail involving local farms, traditional kitchens, food markets, homestays and restaurants. Such experiences can be packaged with cultural and nature-based tourism.

For the hospitality industry, partnerships with local producers and communities can bring authenticity into the guest experience while creating sustainable commercial opportunities.

At Vedic Village, our location and resort environment provide an opportunity to connect guests with Bengal’s culinary heritage, local ingredients and traditional food practices. Such experiences demonstrate how regional cuisine can become both a tourism attraction and an economic-development platform.

What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play?

Building successful culinary tourism requires collaboration rather than isolated initiatives.

Hotels and resorts can provide the platform by developing regional menus, chef-led experiences, cooking sessions, food festivals and farm-to-table concepts. They can also source ingredients locally and create stories around their provenance.

Restaurants and chefs can protect traditional recipes while presenting them in contemporary and internationally accessible formats. The objective should be to modernise presentation without losing authenticity.

Tourism boards can create destination-level culinary trails, promote regional food identities, facilitate infrastructure and support marketing campaigns.

Local entrepreneurs and MSMEs can provide the authenticity—traditional snacks, artisanal products, home kitchens, specialty ingredients, handicrafts and community-led experiences.

Technology can connect these stakeholders through digital storytelling, online discovery, booking platforms and social media.

At Vedic Village, we believe resorts can act as a bridge between the traveller and the local ecosystem. By bringing together regional cuisine, local culture, wellness, nature and hospitality, a resort can create experiences that are commercially viable while supporting the wider destination economy.

How can India turn culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

India needs to move from simply promoting food to productising culinary experiences.

GI-tagged products, traditional recipes, indigenous ingredients, spice traditions and food festivals can become the foundation for structured culinary itineraries. These could include food walks, cooking classes, farm visits, chef’s tables, heritage dining, local market tours and seasonal food festivals.

The experience should have a clear narrative: origin → producer → tradition → preparation → tasting → storytelling.

Technology can further enhance these experiences through digital storytelling, QR-based provenance information, multilingual content and online booking.

Hotels and resorts can package culinary experiences with accommodation, wellness, cultural activities and local excursions, increasing both the value and duration of the guest’s stay.

India can also develop specialised culinary circuits around regional cuisines, spices, tea, traditional sweets, coastal food and indigenous ingredients.

For Vedic Village, this approach aligns naturally with experiential hospitality. Culinary experiences can be integrated with wellness, nature and cultural activities to create a more complete destination proposition rather than treating dining as a standalone service.

How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem?

The economic impact of culinary tourism extends far beyond hotels and restaurants. Every successful culinary experience can create a chain of economic activity involving farmers, fishermen, food processors, artisans, transport providers, chefs, MSMEs, retailers and local communities.

Greater demand for regional ingredients can create new markets for farmers and food producers. Local processing and packaging can generate MSME opportunities, while restaurants and hotels create direct employment.

Culinary tourism can also encourage entrepreneurship among home cooks, traditional food producers and small-scale artisans. Festivals and food trails generate business for transport operators, guides, accommodation providers and retailers.

The key opportunity is to create a stronger farm-to-fork ecosystem, where economic value remains within the destination wherever possible.

Hotels can contribute by increasing local procurement, establishing long-term supplier relationships and giving visibility to regional products.

At Vedic Village, the philosophy is particularly relevant because culinary experiences can be connected with the resort’s broader focus on nature, wellness and local culture. The objective is not simply to sell a meal, but to create an experience that connects the guest with the destination and contributes to the surrounding economic ecosystem.

How can government initiatives support culinary tourism beyond major cities?

Government programmes such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development can provide an important framework for developing culinary tourism as part of destination development.

The focus can move towards identifying destinations with distinctive culinary identities and building the infrastructure required to support them—roads, visitor facilities, hygiene standards, interpretation centres, digital platforms, local guides and experience providers.

Culinary tourism can then be integrated with heritage, rural, nature and cultural tourism rather than being developed as a separate vertical.

Government support can also help train local communities in hospitality, food safety, storytelling, entrepreneurship and digital marketing. This is particularly important for smaller destinations.

The private sector can complement these initiatives through investment, experience design, hospitality expertise and market access.

The opportunity is to create destination-level culinary ecosystems, where local communities become participants and beneficiaries rather than merely service providers. This can help distribute tourism expenditure beyond established urban centres and create a more inclusive tourism economy.

Pratik Shinde

General Manager

Lotus Eco Beach Resort by Orchid, Murud

1. How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India, influencing where travellers choose to go and how they experience a destination?

Food has become an important part of the travel experience today. Travellers want to try local dishes and understand the food culture of the place they are visiting. In destinations like Murud and Konkan, guests are often curious about the local seafood, coconut-based preparations, kokum and traditional recipes. So, food is no longer just something travellers look for during a holiday; it has become a part of discovering the destination itself.

2. How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations, create local employment and generate greater economic value for communities?

Every part of India has its own food story, and this can be a great way to bring attention to lesser-known destinations. For example, Konkan has a very distinct food culture that is closely connected to its coast and local produce. When hotels and restaurants use ingredients sourced from local farmers, fishermen and small producers, it creates more opportunities for the local community while also giving travellers a more authentic experience.

3. What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play in building authentic, sustainable and globally appealing culinary tourism experiences?

Hotels and restaurants can play a very important role by introducing guests to the food and traditions of the region. It can be as simple as including local dishes on the menu, explaining where the ingredients come from or creating small food experiences for guests. Tourism boards and local entrepreneurs can also help by promoting food trails, local markets and traditional cooking experiences. The important thing is to keep the experience genuine rather than making it feel overly commercial.

4. With GI-tagged foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals gaining tourism relevance, how can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

We can create experiences around the story of the food rather than just the food itself. Travellers could visit local markets, meet producers, learn about traditional ingredients and then enjoy a meal made using them. In a place like Konkan, there is a lot of scope to build experiences around seafood, kokum, coconut and traditional local recipes. Food festivals and curated culinary trails can also encourage people to spend more time exploring a destination.

5. How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem—including farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, hotels and local communities?

There is a whole ecosystem behind every local dish. When hotels and restaurants source ingredients locally, it directly supports farmers, fishermen, small producers and other local businesses. It also creates opportunities for local cooks, food entrepreneurs and artisans. In destinations like Murud, encouraging this connection helps ensure that tourism benefits the wider community and not just the hospitality sector.

6. What role can initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play in building India’s culinary tourism infrastructure and taking food tourism beyond major cities?

These initiatives can help bring more focus to smaller destinations and their local food cultures. With better infrastructure, promotion and organised culinary trails, destinations like Murud and other parts of Konkan can showcase their food traditions to a wider audience. There is already a strong food culture in these places; the opportunity is to present it in a way that makes it easier for travellers to discover and experience.

Chef Stanley,

Business Head – Operations,

The Baking Company by Brigade Hospitality

1. How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India, influencing where travellers choose to go and how they experience a destination?

Food tourism is becoming a bigger part of how travellers see and enjoy India. We are seeing this trend at several of our hotels and clubs including The Woodrose among others. More visitors than ever want to try local flavours and learn about traditional ways of cooking, so food now sits right at the centre of the trip. Social media, food videos, and the growing desire for travel that feels real and hands-on have pushed this trend further. Things like food walks, cooking classes, trips to farms, visits to local markets, tasting menus, and regional food festivals can bring a lot more richness to a vacation. For the tourism industry, this is a chance to visit marketplaces to see what makes each region’s food special. Food tourism could help people stay longer, come back again, and connect more deeply with the communities they visit.

2. How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations, create local employment and generate greater economic value for communities?

India’s huge food variety gives a real chance to shine a light on places that might not yet be well-known on regular tourist maps. Each area has its own special ingredients, cooking methods, old recipes, and food habits that can become major tourism strengths. Tourism officials can team up with local people to create regional food celebrations, farmer markets and cooking classes. Local growers, home cooks, craftspeople, guides, small eateries, food producers, and hospitality workers can all join the chain and build jobs and business chances.  At Signature Club Resort for example, our food sourcing strategy focuses heavily on procuring fresh, high-quality local produce. Putting more work into recording and spreading the word about native and regional foods can also help keep food heritage alive while giving it a modern stage. With good infrastructure, training, and online presence, lesser-known spots can build their own strong food image. This method can spread tourism beyond big cities and popular places while letting local communities get more and lasting money from tourism.

3. What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play in building authentic, sustainable and globally appealing culinary tourism experiences?

Building a strong culinary tourism ecosystem requires collaboration across the tourism and hospitality sector. Tourism boards can identify and promote regional culinary assets, develop food trails and festivals, and create platforms that connect visitors with local communities. Hotels and restaurants can bring regional cuisine to travellers through thoughtfully designed menus, chef-led experiences, local ingredient showcases and collaborations with community producers. At The Baking Company, our menu reflects this trend while at the same time maintaining authenticity. Culinary tourism should not simply recreate local food for tourists; it should preserve the stories, techniques and cultural context that make each cuisine distinctive. Local food entrepreneurs, home chefs, farmers and artisans are particularly important because they provide the genuine connection that travellers increasingly seek. Sustainability should also remain central, with greater use of seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, responsible food production and reduced waste. Digital storytelling can then take these experiences to a global audience. When these stakeholders work together, culinary tourism can become a platform that celebrates India’s food heritage while supporting local livelihoods, responsible tourism and destination development.

4. With GI-tagged foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals gaining tourism relevance, how can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

The diverse food culture of India presents itself as an opportunity to the industry to make food the core reason for tourists visiting a place and not something that is only a part of their travel experience. Food tours should be developed in a way that is reflective of the identity of the region and its culinary traditions and community through the food heritage of the region. The GI-tagged products of the region can become the primary reason for tourists to visit that destination through hotels collaborating with the local producers and developing farm visits, cooking with the chef, regional menus, workshops and food tours. In the same vein, traditional recipes and spices can be revived through storytelling and experience-based dining and collaborations with the local food experts and not only through food menus. Food festivals can serve to enrich the ecosystem even more through chefs, farmers, artisans, food entrepreneurs and travellers coming together.

5. How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem—including farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, hotels and local communities?

The benefits of culinary tourism go much deeper than just having an occasional meal at a restaurant, spending a night at a hotel or buying some souvenirs. For the hospitality industry, it means that by using regional and seasonal ingredients, there is a chance to present unique food and beverage options as well as promote local producers. Hotels can cooperate with farmers, food speciality makers and MSMEs to present regional products via carefully selected menus, farmers markets, tastings and destination-related culinary events. For small communities, culinary tourism offers a new source of income without the need for building big infrastructures. Traditional food products, artisan products and local ingredients can be marketed on a larger scale while maintaining the local culinary culture. There is also a potential of involvement of MSMEs in food processing and packaging, catering and food-related events.

6. What role can initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play in building India’s culinary tourism infrastructure and taking food tourism beyond major cities?

Government led tourism campaigns can enable greater organization of culinary tourism and its extension in multiple destinations. Campaigns like Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development will play a role in enabling the development of infrastructure, visibility and partnerships that can aid in the development of emergent destinations based on their food cultures. From the perspective of hospitality, there is the potential to collaborate with tourism authorities and the communities in order to develop experiences that highlight the food and culture of each destination. These experiences can include food trails, food festivals, farm-to-table experiences, local food markets, collaborations with chefs and cooking classes. Digital platforms can also help in making these experiences discoverable and bookable by travellers. There are a lot of ingredients in place in India in terms of its culinary diversity that would be required to develop culinary tourism destinations. What is left is to organize these ingredients into quality, business-oriented experiences

Sanket Satare
Executive Chef, Navi Mumbai Marriott Hotel

How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India?
Food used to be something you fit in between sightseeing. Now, for a lot of travelers, it’s the whole point of the trip. People don’t just want a good meal anymore — they want to taste their way into a place, understand it through what’s cooking.
And India makes that easy, honestly. Cross a state border and the food changes completely — sometimes it changes just crossing into the next district. I’ve had guests plan an entire trip around one dish they read about somewhere. That wasn’t happening ten years ago.
What I’d really love to see next is us turning that into something people can actually book and plan around — without flattening it out or making it feel packaged. Because that’s the risk. Done right, food doesn’t just bring people to the big cities everyone already visits — it can pull them toward the smaller
places that have always cooked beautifully but never got noticed for it.

How can India leverage regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations and create local economic value?
Every region here has a food story sitting right under the surface, just waiting for someone to tell it properly — a grain that’s grown nowhere else, a technique some family has been doing for three generations, a dish nobody outside the district has even heard of.
I think about what a real food circuit could look like: a morning at the local market, a home-cooked meal, maybe a farm visit, a cooking session, a night at a homestay. Nothing fancy — just enough to make someone want to stay two extra days instead of rushing through.
But it only works if the people who actually cook and grow this food are the ones benefiting from it — not just outsiders coming in to package and sell it. Swadesh Darshan 2.0 seems to get that, with its push into Tier-II and Tier-III towns. My only worry is that the moment we try to “simplify” a cuisine to make it tourist-friendly, we lose the very thing that made it worth visiting for.

What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and food entrepreneurs play?
Everyone’s got a different job here, and honestly it only works if each of us stays in our lane a bit. Hotels have the reach — we can put a local dish or a producer in front of a guest who’d never have found them otherwise. Restaurants carry the responsibility of getting the story right — where a dish comes from, who’s been cooking it, why it tastes the way it does — instead of just quietly adjusting it to
be “safe” for tourists.
Tourism boards do the heavy lifting none of us can do alone — training guides, mapping out routes, making sure people can actually find and book these experiences.
And the small food entrepreneurs, the home cooks, the family-run places — that’s where the real heart of this is. It rarely gets the credit, but it’s the most honest part of the whole thing.
If I had one ask, it’d be that we don’t lose sight of sustainability while scaling any of this — sourcing responsibly, paying people fairly, not burning out the very traditions we’re trying to celebrate.

How can India turn GI foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals into high-value travel experiences?
We treat GI-tagged products like souvenirs — something you buy at the airport on your way out. That’s such a waste. A GI product should be an invitation to go see the farm, watch how it’s made, sit down and actually eat it the way it’s meant to be eaten.
Same with old recipes — a cooking class or a proper food walk does more for a dish than any menu description ever could. And spice routes, if we actually connected the plantations, the old markets, the trading towns properly, could be some of the best multi-day trips in the country.
None of this works without some basic groundwork though — hygiene, accessibility, someone actually managing the visitor experience well. But if we get that right, we move from “here, taste this” to something much closer to actually experiencing where it came from.

How is culinary tourism creating opportunities across the wider ecosystem?
What I find genuinely moving about this — and I don’t use that word lightly — is how far it reaches. A farmer growing something unusual finally has a market for it. A small producer gets to sell direct instead of through five middlemen. A homestay owner gets to cook her own food for guests instead of buying in “hotel food.”
I’ve seen old cooks, people who’ve spent their whole lives making something nobody outside their village knew about, suddenly get to share it — and get paid for it. That matters more to me than any big number.
The thing I’d push for is keeping the sourcing local — not flying in ingredients to make things “consistent.” The moment you do that, you cut the very people out who should be benefiting the most.

What role can Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play?
These three, if they actually work together, could finally pull food tourism away from the same five cities everyone already visits.
Swadesh Darshan 2.0 backing Tier-II and Tier-III towns feels overdue to me — I’ve cooked with ingredients from some of these places, and they deserve to be known for more than just supplying a market.
Dekho Apna Desh can do the storytelling — getting Indian travelers themselves curious about places they’ve never thought to visit. And Challenge-Based Destination Development, from what I understand, pushes places to lean into what actually makes them different instead of copying whatever’s trending.
What I keep hoping for is that all of this actually joins up — the roads, the training, the branding, the small businesses — instead of each piece happening in isolation. That’s when it stops being a scheme on paper and starts being something you can actually feel when you visit.

Chef Vishal Chandnani

Director of Culinary – The Orchid Hotel, Mumbai

1. How Culinary Tourism Is Reshaping India’s Travel Economy?

From a chef’s perspective, I think food has always been one of the most powerful ways of discovering India. What is changing today is that travellers are becoming much more curious about where their food comes from, how it is prepared and the story behind it.

Earlier, food was often something that complemented a holiday. Today, it can actually become a reason to travel. People are seeking out regional specialities, local ingredients, traditional cooking techniques and authentic food experiences.

India has such an incredible advantage because our cuisine changes every few hundred kilometres. Every region has its own ingredients, techniques and traditions. As chefs, we have an opportunity to bring those stories to the guest and encourage them to look beyond the more familiar versions of Indian cuisine.

For us at The Orchid Hotel Mumbai, this also means looking at food not just as a menu, but as an experience that can introduce a guest to the diversity of India.

2. How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India, influencing where travellers choose to go and how they experience a destination?

I think travellers today want to taste a destination, not just see it.

If you visit a new place and experience its local food, you understand the destination at a completely different level. You begin to understand its climate, its agriculture, its communities and even its history through the food.

We are seeing greater curiosity among guests about regional Indian cuisines and ingredients that they may not have encountered before. A particular dish, a local sweet, a spice or even a traditional cooking technique can become part of the reason someone wants to visit a particular region.

As chefs, that gives us a wonderful responsibility. We can take a guest on a culinary journey without necessarily taking them physically anywhere—through the ingredients we select, the stories we tell and the way we present a regional cuisine.

3. How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations, create local employment and generate greater economic value for communities?

I believe this is where Indian cuisine has enormous potential.

There are so many destinations in India that may not be widely known internationally, but have incredibly rich food traditions. If we can tell those culinary stories better, food can become a gateway to discovering these places.

And the benefit goes much beyond the restaurant. When a regional cuisine becomes part of a tourism experience, it creates demand for local farmers, fishermen, spice growers, food producers, artisans, home cooks, small restaurants and local entrepreneurs.

As chefs, we can contribute by bringing lesser-known ingredients and dishes into our menus and giving them the right context. But it is important that we do this respectfully. We should not take a traditional recipe away from its cultural context; we should understand its origin, respect the people who have preserved it and give them visibility.

If we can do that, culinary tourism can create both economic opportunity and a reason for younger generations to continue valuing their food heritage.

4. What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play in building authentic, sustainable and globally appealing culinary tourism experiences?

I think everyone has a different role to play, but the chef is often the bridge between the ingredient, the producer and the guest.

Hotels and restaurants can create platforms for regional cuisines and introduce guests to ingredients and recipes they may not otherwise discover. Tourism boards can help create the larger destination story, while local entrepreneurs bring the authenticity and community connection.

For chefs, sustainability also starts very close to the kitchen. What are we buying? Who are we buying it from? Is it seasonal? Can we reduce wastage? Are we supporting local producers?

At the same time, taking Indian cuisine to a global audience doesn’t mean changing everything to suit an international palate. I believe we should preserve the character of the cuisine while presenting it in a way that today’s traveller can understand and appreciate.

Authenticity and innovation can absolutely coexist.

5. With GI-tagged foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals gaining tourism relevance, how can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

As chefs, we often say that every ingredient has a story. A GI-tagged ingredient, for example, already comes with a sense of place and identity. The opportunity is to take that story beyond the plate.

Imagine a traveller experiencing an ingredient at its place of origin, meeting the people who grow or produce it, understanding how it is traditionally used and then seeing a chef interpret it in a contemporary dish. That becomes much more than a meal—it becomes an experience.

Similarly, India’s spice routes and food festivals can be developed into culinary journeys where food connects with history, culture, agriculture and local communities.

Hotels can play an important role by creating curated menus, chef-led experiences, tasting journeys and regional food showcases that act as an introduction to these destinations.

6. How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem—including farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, hotels and local communities?

Food has a very long value chain, and that is what makes culinary tourism so exciting.

When I put a particular regional ingredient on a menu, there is a farmer or producer behind that ingredient. There may be a small processing unit, a spice grower, a transporter or a local entrepreneur involved as well.

So when we create demand for authentic regional ingredients, we are potentially supporting an entire ecosystem.

I also think chefs have a responsibility here. We should make an effort to understand our suppliers better and, wherever possible, source responsibly and seasonally. It makes the food better, but it also creates a stronger connection between the kitchen and the community.

Ultimately, the guest may see one dish on the plate, but behind that dish there can be dozens of people and a whole region.

7. What role can initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play in building India’s culinary tourism infrastructure and taking food tourism beyond major cities?

I think these initiatives can play a very important role in giving culinary tourism a more structured ecosystem. India already has the food, the traditions and the regional diversity; what we need is to connect these strengths with tourism infrastructure and organised experiences.

For example, under destination development programmes, culinary trails can be developed around specific regions, ingredients or food traditions. This could include local markets, farms, traditional kitchens, food producers, community-run experiences and regional festivals. It would give travellers a reason to spend more time in a destination and, importantly, ensure that the economic benefits reach local communities.

Dekho Apna Desh can also help create greater awareness around India’s regional food cultures and encourage travellers to explore beyond the familiar metropolitan and tourist centres. Similarly, Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and Challenge-Based Destination Development can help destinations build the infrastructure required to support these experiences—from visitor facilities and connectivity to interpretation, branding and curated tourism circuits.

From a chef’s perspective, I see a tremendous opportunity to connect the culinary expertise of the hospitality industry with these destination initiatives. Chefs can help document and showcase local recipes, work with regional producers, develop authentic food experiences and bring lesser-known ingredients into the wider culinary conversation.

The larger opportunity is to move from simply promoting Indian food to promoting the places, people and traditions behind that food. If these initiatives can create that connection between destination, cuisine and community, culinary tourism can become a meaningful part of India’s tourism economy and take travellers much further beyond the major cities.

Anthony Rohan Parish
Corporate Chef , Shilton Hospitality

1. How is culinary tourism evolving into a major driver of travel in India, influencing where travellers choose to go and how they experience a destination?

Food has always been an important part of travel in India, but I think the difference today is that people are increasingly travelling with food in mind. A destination is no longer only about its monuments, landscapes or hotels. What people eat there and where they eat it can become an important part of the overall travel experience.

People are looking for food that they may not easily find in their own cities. They want to visit local markets, try regional specialities, eat at traditional establishments and understand how the food is connected to the place. In many cases, a particular dish or ingredient can become a reason to visit a destination in the first place.

As chefs, we see this curiosity in the way guests ask questions about ingredients, preparation methods and regional origins. They are often more interested in the story behind a dish than simply whether it is familiar to them.

India has an advantage here because every region has its own ingredients, cooking techniques and food traditions. If these are presented well and responsibly, food can encourage people to spend more time in a destination and explore beyond the usual tourist attractions.

2. How can India leverage its diverse regional cuisines to promote lesser-known destinations, create local employment and generate greater economic value for communities?

The connection between food and a destination can be very powerful. If a region is known for a particular cuisine, ingredient or traditional preparation, that itself can become part of the reason for people to visit.

The important thing is to take the experience beyond just serving the food in a restaurant. Tourists could be introduced to local farms, food producers, markets, traditional kitchens or even community-led food experiences. That creates opportunities for several people within the local economy rather than only the final restaurant.

For example, a regional food experience can involve farmers supplying indigenous ingredients, local cooks preserving traditional recipes, small producers making pickles or spice blends, and restaurants or homestays introducing these products to visitors.

This also gives lesser-known destinations an identity of their own. Instead of trying to replicate what larger tourist cities already offer, they can build an experience around what is genuinely local to them.

3. What role can hotels, restaurants, tourism boards and local food entrepreneurs play in building authentic, sustainable and globally appealing culinary tourism experiences?

Everyone has a different role to play. Tourism boards can help create awareness and improve the infrastructure around destinations. Hotels and restaurants can bring these food traditions to a wider audience, while local entrepreneurs and communities are the people who often hold the actual knowledge behind the cuisine.

For the hospitality industry, authenticity should start with understanding the food before trying to modernise it. A chef should know where an ingredient comes from, why a particular technique is used and what makes the dish relevant to that region.

At the same time, the experience needs to be accessible to today’s traveller. Good hospitality, clear communication, hygiene and thoughtful presentation can help a traditional cuisine reach a much wider audience without changing its fundamental character.

Sustainability is equally important. Culinary tourism should create demand for local produce and local skills without putting unnecessary pressure on the resources or communities that make the experience possible.

4. With GI-tagged foods, traditional recipes, spice routes and food festivals gaining tourism relevance, how can India turn its culinary diversity into structured, high-value travel experiences?

We need to think beyond food festivals as standalone events. A festival can introduce people to a cuisine, but a stronger tourism experience would connect the food to the place where it originates.

For example, a culinary trail could combine a local market visit, an interaction with producers, a traditional cooking demonstration, a meal and a visit to an important cultural or historical site associated with the region. This gives the traveller a much deeper understanding of the food.

GI-tagged products can also play an important role because they connect a product to a specific geographical identity. But the focus should not only be on selling the product. Travellers should be educated on how it is produced, how it is traditionally used and why it belongs to that region.

India has enough culinary diversity to create many such experiences. The opportunity is to package them thoughtfully while ensuring that the communities and producers behind them remain an important part of the value chain.

5. How is culinary tourism creating economic opportunities across the wider ecosystem—including farmers, food producers, MSMEs, restaurants, hotels and local communities?

One of the strongest aspects of culinary tourism is that the economic impact can extend well beyond the restaurant or hotel where the visitor has a meal.

A single culinary experience can create demand for farmers, fishermen, spice growers, dairy producers, small food manufacturers, transporters, local guides, home cooks and artisans. Hotels and restaurants can also create a market for ingredients that may otherwise struggle to find a consistent commercial audience.

There is also an important knowledge economy around food. Traditional cooking skills, preservation methods and recipes are valuable forms of local knowledge. When there is commercial interest in them, there is greater incentive for younger generations to learn and continue those practices.

The key is to ensure that the economic value reaches the people who produce and preserve the food, rather than concentrating entirely at the final point of sale.

6. What role can initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Dekho Apna Desh and Challenge-Based Destination Development play in building India’s culinary tourism infrastructure and taking food tourism beyond major cities?

These initiatives can provide an important framework for developing destinations beyond the established tourism centres. Swadesh Darshan 2.0, for instance, takes a destination-centric approach and places emphasis on sustainable tourism, local participation and improving the overall visitor experience. The government has also identified destinations under the Challenge-Based Destination Development programme across different categories.

From a culinary perspective, the opportunity is to include food as part of the destination experience rather than treating it as an isolated attraction. That could mean better local food infrastructure, curated food trails, support for local entrepreneurs, culinary markets, cooking experiences and stronger links between producers and hospitality businesses.

Initiatives such as Dekho Apna Desh also have the potential to bring attention to lesser-known destinations and their cultural heritage.

If this development is done with local communities at the centre, food tourism can help distribute tourism activity more widely and give travellers another reason to explore places beyond India’s major cities.