What would you guess are Singaporeans' top culinary destinations? According to a survey by Hilton Worldwide, it's Taiwan, followed by Hong Kong and Japan.
Hilton Worldwide polled 2,700 leisure travellers from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand on travel behaviour.
I'm not surprised that over a third (36 per cent) said food and drink is the critical determining factor in choosing a travel destination. I like to plan my travel around food too.
But Taiwan as a food destination above Japan? I must be missing out on something. Time for more Taiwan trips? I need more locals to show me the hidden good stuff. I do have some Taiwan food experience I have yet to blog. Like the lovely teahouse at Jiufen (photo above). But I'm still partial to Japan for its consistency and ability to amaze on the culinary front.
The rest of the travellers did pick Japan as their favourite. Thailand and Taiwan tied in second place. Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong shared third position. Interestingly, 19 per cent preferred their own home country food experiences (largely Indonesia, Australia, Korea, Japan and Malaysia).
“A country or city’s culinary offering is clearly a big driver as to where leisure travelers in Asia Pacific choose to travel,” said Markus Schueller, vice president for Food & Beverage Operations, Asia Pacific at Hilton Worldwide.
Variety of cuisine, unique culinary offerings, unusual local delicacies and cultural food experiences like food markets and festivals were cited as important.
Cône de pin of Tilefish (with red pepper, chorizo and saffron) at Collage, Conrad Tokyo
“Appreciation for food and drink continues to grow, and this has significant implications for the hospitality industry. Gone are the days where hotels were simply places to rest. Today, they have to be food and drink destinations themselves, providing guests with the services and information that fit with the increased emphasis they place on quality culinary experiences when they travel.”
When I stayed at the Conrad Tokyo, the food within the hotel itself was excellent (see photo above). It was also near quite a lot of interesting eateries (Yurakucho and Ginza). More in blog post coming up!
The survey also found that 52 per cent of Singaporeans would allocate up to half of total holiday budget for food. That's quite a lot. Most of my expenses go to flight and hotel. But I don't exactly have a cap on food expenses.
The survey forms part of the Hilton Worldwide’s Destination Marketing campaign, an ongoing initiative to provide travelers with the best available rates to stay at Hilton Worldwide hotels and resorts in APAC.
the only good food in Taiwan is cheap, local food and Japanese. Once you start paying above USD 25 a head for food, the quality to price ratio drops off significantly... As a Taiwanese, *I* have trouble finding places that will amaze me... Definitely Japan and Hong Kong for me!
ReplyDeleteHey Peech! Long time no see! Very glad to have your take on Taiwanese food! I'm still not too familiar with Taiwan (only two trips so far). But I agree Japan and HK are always awesome.
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