Foodie travel trends rising

Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook draws on a survey of 3,353 Agoda customers across nine Asia‑Pacific markets and ranks Taiwan as the region’s most “foodie” market (47%), followed by Vietnam (35%) and South Korea (34%); Thailand appears at 20% and India at 8%. (ttgasia.com) The company says culinary experiences jumped from sixth to a top‑three motivator year‑on‑year, and Agoda notes its platform lists over 300,000 activities, more than 6 million holiday properties and some 130,000 flight routes. (agoda.com) Reader’s Digest frames 2026 as a “whycation” year and singles out grocery‑store tourism and astro‑travel (night‑sky tourism and guided stargazing) as major trends, urging travelers toward low‑stress, meaning‑driven itineraries and destinations with low light pollution. (rd.com) Coverage tracing grocery‑store tourism to industry research cites Hilton data that about 77% of travellers already engage with the trend and some 35% plan to visit a local supermarket on their next trip. (metro.co.uk) U.S. data show only a modest rebound: the U.S. Travel Association dashboard reports total travel spending up 1.0% year‑over‑year and hotel demand rising 0.5%, while industry reporting noted inbound visits in February edged up after a nine‑month decline. (ustravel.org) States are pairing marketing and policy tools to chase higher‑value, experience‑led tourism—Hawaii’s Mālama Hawai‘i 2.0 and a wave of state incentives are explicitly positioning regenerative and community‑focused programs as part of recovery strategies. (travelandtourworld.com)