Supermarket tourism: The next big trend for food lovers by 2025
There has been a lot of buzz online about an unusual travel style expected to become famous by 2025. This trend is known as food tourism, which aims to draw tourists to supermarkets. So, what is this new trend all about?
5:41 PM EDT, October 18, 2024
Supermarket or food tourism, which involves traveling abroad for the purpose of shopping at grocery stores, is expected to become a major travel trend. Travel company Expedia predicts that by 2025, travelers will embark on "grocery tours" to seek items they cannot purchase at home and simply must have.
A new era of "souvenirs"
One of the first people promoting this trend on social media is Jessica Jayne, whose TikTok posts include grocery shopping as part of a cultural experience. One of her posts is about her visit to the Greek island of Santorini.
The video shows her buying Oreo cookies in various flavors, Lays Pizza Hut chips, and Lacta chocolate in lesser-known flavors like banoffee. "Going to a grocery store could technically be counted as sightseeing, right? Because not only is it a cultural experience, but you can also find lots of stuff to bring back as souvenirs," Jessica reports.
"This may be controversial, but I think that the best thing to do while traveling is going to the grocery store," explains the TikTok user in a now-popular video about her experiences visiting Malaysian supermarkets.
Gathering goods as part of the cultural experience
She argues a visit to a grocery store can be considered sightseeing. It's not only a cultural experience, but you can also find many things to bring back as souvenirs.
Supermarket tourism can transform colorful grocery stores, quirky local shops, and specialty supermarkets around the world into travel destinations in their own right.
Exploring the places where locals shop allows vacationers to get to know local cultures through food, ingredients, and shopping habits. Often, supermarkets and grocery stores offer insight into a region's culinary traditions, popular products, and everyday life. Do you think this new trend will catch on?
