THE WORLD JUST GOT MEASURED
The Taste of Place Global Index is the first country-level index built exclusively for gastronomy tourism. This year, we are comparing how 80 countries measure up against 7 evidence-based pillars. One authoritative benchmark — from the organisation that has defined the field for nearly 30 years.
EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS JUNE 1
Early bird pricing is available now through publication date (expected June 1, 2026).
Save 20% on any license — standard, member, academic, data, or organizational.
Get early bird pricing now →
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 nearly 30 years.
What is the Taste of Place Global 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.
7
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.
Seven Pillars - One Complete Picture
| # | 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 | Reputation | Global perception of a country's culinary identity — measured, not assumed (Year 1 reference data only) |
| 7 | Access | Air connectivity, accommodation capacity, visa accessibility, safety and security |
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 Taste of Place Global 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 Taste of Place Global Index is built to be the longitudinal benchmark this field has never had — one that gets more valuable every year it runs.
Who Uses the Taste of Place Global 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
Summary Report
Available to everyone — no purchase required
- Overall country rankings across all 80 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
Full Report
Complete data and analysis for all 84 countries
- Complete scores for all 80 primary and 4 supplementary countries
- Full breakdown across all 7 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
Pricing
| License | Eligible buyer | Standard price | Early bird (−20%) Until June 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | NTOs · DMOs · Government · Commercial | US$1,650 | US$1,320 |
| WFTA Premium Members | Paid WFTA members and National Alliance partners | US$1,150 | US$920 |
| Academic | Research institutions and universities | US$950 | US$760 |
| Data License | Consultancies and agencies — permits use in client deliverables with mandatory attribution | US$2,200 | US$1,760 |
| Organizational License | Unlimited internal users within a single legal entity | US$4,500 | US$3,600 |
Early bird pricing is available through June 1, 2026. One discount per purchase - early bird applies to whichever license tier you qualify for. Hardship pricing may be available to government tourism bodies in low and lower-middle income countries (World Bank classification).
Questions? Contact us at
help@worldfoodtravel.org.
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 Taste of Place Global 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
