As 2024 draws to a close, companies around the world are beginning to shift their focus onto the next year’s big travel trends—but this time, Marriott’s focusing on the food in a new report that identifies the ten biggest food trends we’re likely to see in 2025.
The new report, The Future of Food 2025, was released by The Luxury Group by Marriott International. It highlights the growing importance of the Asia Pacific region on culinary tourism. The region generated over 37.8 percent of the global culinary tourism market in 2023, and is only expected to grow.
“The Future of Food 2025 report highlights Asia Pacific's pivotal role in shaping global culinary landscapes," said Oriol Montal, Managing Director of Luxury for Asia Pacific excluding China, Marriott International. "With gastronomy having a significant influence on travel decisions, dining has become an essential component of the global tourism landscape. This report demonstrates our commitment to culinary excellence across all our Luxury Group brands. We will continue to evolve our gastronomy landscape alongside the F&B industry, providing our guests with dining experiences that highlight the region's rich heritage, flavors, and techniques."
So what are the emerging trends to look out for?
The Asian Wave
We’ve witnessed the spread of the Korean Wave in global entertainment, and Japanese cuisine has been universally beloved across the globe. Yet the spread of culinary traditions from the Asia Pacific region is only expected to grow, according to the report.
As more travelers seek to head to the region to experience its culinary delights, diaspora chefs returning to their home countries are injecting an international flair into centuries-old traditions, creating new trends and new ways to experience food.
Sustainability and Ancient Techniques
The second trend is the return to labor-intensive, ancient techniques and ingredients that have been left behind. Sustainability is becoming an important factor in the culinary world, too, and ditching machines to do things the old-fashioned way is becoming a bigger trend, as is the use of producing more labor-intensive food products locally, or in-house.
Fine Dining: Hyperlocal and Superfine
Fine dining will experience two unique trends next year: hyperlocal and superfine dining. Hyperlocal sounds just like it is: taking local traditions and foods and elevating them to provide a unique experience. Superfine dining, on the other hand, focuses on exclusivity, such as providing a membership-based access to a restaurant with an aim to offer a more intimate experience.
Food as Medicine
We’re encountering a food revolution in which we no longer just consider food as fuel, but also medicine that can provide certain benefits towards longevity and health. Restaurants will capitalize on this next year, offering more fresh, whole ingredients with transparent sourcing.
Emerging Culinary Destinations
While some destinations will always be known for their incredible food, new destinations throughout Asia Pacific will no doubt see their popularity grow next year. Marriott has identified a short list, including Bali, Busan, Ho Chi Minh City, Jeju, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Niseko, Shanghai and Tasmania.
The other five trends include focuses on sustainability and regenerative farming practices, new beverage options including a growing list of non-alcoholic options, no-touch technological advances and AI implementation, and more multisensory experiences and environmentally friendly dining venues.
Source: Travelpulse.com