Assess Your Destination
Culinary Tourism Readiness Assessment
Take a deeper look at your destination with a comprehensive assessment that identifies strengths, opportunities, and priorities for gastronomy tourism development.
WHAT FAME DOESN'T MEASURE
The Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index is the first country-level index built exclusively to measure national readiness in gastronomy tourism. This year, we are comparing how 84 countries measure up against 6 evidence-based pillars. One authoritative benchmark - from the organization that has led our field for 25 years.
Nearly Every Destination Competes on Gastronomy
Until now, no country could measure how well it served the needs of gastronomy-oriented travelers.
Some useful data is available. One agency measures infrastructure and market openness. Another tracks arrivals and economic receipts. Some consultancies rank destinations by lifestyle appeal. All useful.
None of this research was designed to answer the question destinations actually need answered:
What is our country's real position in gastronomy tourism —
and what does the data say about where to go next?
This year, we're launching an annual, rigorous, quantifiable analysis to help destinations like yours make the right strategic choices. Published by the World Food Travel Association — the organization that has defined the field of gastronomy tourism (a.k.a. food tourism and culinary tourism) for 25 years.
What is the Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index ?
84
Countries
The primary index covers 84 countries chosen from the IMF international travel receipts dataset, supplemented by 4 additional countries of strategic gastronomy significance.
6
Evidence-based pillars
Heritage. Land. Experience. Leadership. Stewardship. Reputation. Access. Each pillar is independently scored and weighted. Nothing is based on perception surveys or opinion panels.
1×
Published annually
Published every June. Year 1 (2026) establishes the baseline. Year 2 adds trend data. By Year 3, there will be a directional benchmark — the only one of its kind.
Six Pillars - One Complete Picture
The 7th pillar "Reputation" will be included in the next annual report.
| # | Pillar name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heritage | Formally recognized food and drink traditions, protected product designations, and endangered ingredients — the depth of a country's documented culinary identity |
| 2 | Land | Agricultural biodiversity, smallholder share, organic share, food self-sufficiency, market density — the productive base that feeds genuine gastronomy |
| 3 | Experience | The volume and variety of food and drink experiences that visitors can book online through major travel booking platforms |
| 4 | Leadership | Whether a country has a formally constituted institutional body with a documented gastronomy tourism mandate |
| 5 | Stewardship | Food security, environmental performance, food waste policy, and the long-term viability of a country's food system |
| 6 | Access | Air connectivity, accommodation capacity, visa accessibility, safety and security |
| 7 | Reputation | Global perception of a country's culinary identity — measured, not assumed (to be added in Year 2; for 2026 only 6 pillars are being analyzed) |
Built for Gastronomy Tourism
Not Adapted from Something Else
Every other index that touches on tourism was built to measure something broader — competitiveness, liveability, infrastructure. Gastronomy is, at best, one variable among dozens. The Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index is the only instrument built from the ground up to answer gastronomy tourism-specific questions.
Gastronomy-native methodology
Every pillar, every indicator, and every scoring principle was designed specifically for gastronomy tourism — not adapted from a general competitiveness index. Includes a principle that no other tourism index applies: that a country's true culinary strength comes from diversity and tradition, not from how much food it produces industrially.
Primary & verified data, not surveys
Every score is calculated from verified primary sources — international databases, national registries, global food and travel research. No expert opinion panels. No perception surveys. No methodology that rewards a well-funded marketing campaign over genuine gastronomy strength.
An annual baseline, not a snapshot
A single year tells you where your country stands. Three years tells you whether your investments are working. The Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index is built to be the longitudinal benchmark this field has never had — one that gets more valuable every year it runs.
Choose the License That Fits You
Get the GTMI Report
The same comprehensive report. Choose the license that best matches how you and your organization will use it.
Standard License
For businesses, DMOs, governments and non-profits.
- 1 named user
- Internal use only
- Share within your organization
- No commercial redistribution
US$1,650
BUY STANDARD LICENSEInstitutional License
For universities and research institutions.
- For academic use
- Multiple users within institution
- Citation / attribution required
- Not for commercial use
US$950
BUY INSTITUTIONAL LICENSEConsultancy License
For consultants and agencies working with clients.
- Use in client deliverables
- Multiple users in your company
- Attribution required
- No redistribution of report
US$2,200
BUY CONSULTANCY LICENSEExtended License
For organizations needing broader internal access.
- Unlimited users
- Organization-wide license
- Single legal entity
- No redistribution of report
US$4,500
BUY EXTENDED LICENSEAll prices in USD. No tax is payable since we bill from our office in the US State of Oregon. Secure checkout powered by Stripe. Report will be emailed 24 hours or sooner after purchase.
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Who Uses the Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index?
Destinations
National Tourism Organizations
Use your country score to make the internal case for gastronomy tourism investment. Identify your strongest pillars and your largest gaps. Track progress year on year.
Government
Tourism Ministries
Commission, justify, and evaluate national gastronomy tourism strategy against an independent external benchmark. Cite data that holds up to scrutiny.
Industry
Destination Consultancies
License the data for use in client deliverables. Strengthen your recommendations with the only country-level gastronomy readiness data available anywhere. Mandatory attribution applies.
Research
Academic & Research Institutions
Access a unique longitudinal dataset for gastronomy tourism research. Citeable methodology. Annual updates. Discounted rate available with citation commitment.
What's Included
Free · Download now
Summary Report
Available to everyone — no purchase required
- Overall country rankings across all 84 primary markets
- Top 10 global rankings and the leading country in each region
- Pillar-level headline scores for each country
- Methodology overview
- Available to all — media, researchers, and the general public
From US$950 - Now Available
Full Report
Complete data and analysis for all 84 countries
- Complete scores for all 84 countries (approx. 230 total pages)
- Full breakdown across all 6 pillars for every country
- Indicator-level detail behind every pillar score
- All methodology adjustments documented with rationale
- Country-level narrative analysis (~100 pages)
- Data license and organizational license available separately
Frequently Asked Questions
The report is available now.
The free summary report provides overall country rankings and headline pillar data — enough to understand where your country sits in the global picture. The paid report provides full indicator-level detail, country narratives, all methodology documentation, and the complete dataset for all 84 countries.
Only with a Consultancy License (US$2,200). The Consultancy License permits use in client deliverables with a mandatory attribution line: "Source: Taste of Place Global Index, World Food Travel Association, 2026." Standard, Institutional, and Extended licenses are for internal use only.
WFTA Premium Member pricing is handled directly. Please contact us at help@worldfoodtravel.org
with your membership details and we will send you a personalized payment link at your member rate.
The primary index covers 84 countries drawn from the IMF's international travel receipts dataset — the countries with the most significant global tourism activity. Four supplementary countries of strategic gastronomy significance are also included. If your country is not in Year 1, it may be added in future editions. Please contact us help@worldfoodtravel.org
to discuss.
The Taste of Place Global Index is published in English only. Contact us to discuss.
Created by the Organization that Defined Our Field
The World Food Travel Association has been the global authority in gastronomy tourism since 2001, when we coined the term “food tourism.” We produced the first consumer research into food and travel motivations. We developed the international standards that destinations and organizations now use to build and evaluate gastronomy tourism programs.
The Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index is the natural extension of our work — turning 25 years of ground-level knowledge into a rigorous, repeatable, publicly available benchmark that the industry can use, cite, and build on.
“
For the first time, destinations don't have to argue that gastronomy tourism matters. Now they can prove where they stand.
Erik Wolf Executive Director and Founder, World Food Travel Association
Continue Your Taste of Place Journey
Benchmarking is only the beginning. Explore how WFTA helps destinations translate insights into practical action, strengthen their culinary identity, and measure progress over time.
Put Insights to Work
Strategy & Consulting
Work with WFTA to develop a tailored strategy that builds on your GTMI results and supports long-term, sustainable destination development.
Understand the Traveler
Food Travel Monitor
Complement destination benchmarking with global consumer research that reveals how food travelers think, choose destinations, and make travel decisions.
