Segmenting Canadian Culinary Tourists

Researchers in culinary tourism often implicitly treat visitors interested in culinary products as a relatively homogeneous market. Using data obtained from the Canadian Travel Activities and Motivations Study, three a priori segments are defined: visitors who participate only in food-related activities, those who participate only in wine- related activities, and those who participate in both. The food segment was the largest of the three, with nearly 25% of respondents fitting this category; wine was the smallest segment with less than 4%. Wine and food accounted for about 7%. The food segment had a higher proportion of females than the other segments, with lower average educational attainment and lower incomes. Wine-oriented visitors were more balanced between male and female, had average ages and educational attainment, and higher incomes. Those visitors involved in both sets of activities were predominantly male, older, had the highest educational levels, and much higher incomes. Trip motivations and activities also differed significantly among the three segments with the food and wine segment showing the greatest diversity of motivations and activities. In other words, there are distinct types of culinary tourists who seek distinct types of culinary experiences. Different methods of communications, and different packaging and product development strategies need to be employed to reach each of the segments identified here.