Sixty-two per cent have travelled to the country of origin of their favourite food and 84 per cent of Canadians would travel to a destination because of its cuisine

OpenTable insiders share 25 Fly to Try Dishes just in time for summer travel season

TORONTO, June 21, 2017 /CNW/ -- OpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), today announced the findings of its new "Will Fly For Food" survey highlighting the growing interest Canadians have in culinary travel. According to the survey, 84 per cent of Canadian diners would pick a leisure travel or trip destination based on its culinary scene, while more than half of diners (54 per cent) say they have previously planned a leisure trip solely because of the destination's culinary scene. Sixty-two per cent of those surveyed have also travelled to the country of origin of their favourite food.

We'll have what they're having

The survey found more than half of diners (54 per cent) significantly associate a destination's culture with its culinary scene and dining customs. When deciding where to dine during leisure travel, most Canadians look for restaurants serving authentic, local flavours (80 per cent), with 42 per cent saying they seek out establishments where mostly locals are dining.

"Destinations with rich food culture and a global reputation for dining are at the top of the list for Canadians when considering travel destinations," said Ziv Schierau, Head of National Accounts for OpenTable Canada. "Additionally, Canadians love the local experience when travelling and aren't afraid to venture away from the tourist trail when scoping out the perfect place to dine."

Dream dining destinations

The survey shows Canadians like to plan ahead with 66 per cent of the diners having previously booked a restaurant reservation prior to travelling. When asked to select dream dining destinations, renowned food capital Florence, Italy, came out on top for Canadians, followed closely by Paris, France. Canadian cities are also recognized as global dining destinations. This includes Montréal, Québec, where travellers can dine on local favourites such disco poutine from Deville Dinerbar.

The top 10 dream dining destinations cited by Canadian diners are:

• Florence, Italy
• Paris, France
• Barcelona, Spain
• Tokyo, Japan
• New York, U.S.
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Madrid, Spain
• Montréal, Canada
• Marrakesh, Morocco
• London, U.K.

Culinary Passport - 25 Fly to Try Dishes

Just in time for summer travel season, OpenTable insiders have compiled a list of must-try dishes at dining destinations from around the globe. From traditional dishes to novel takes on local cuisine, these "25 Fly to Try Dishes" are well worth the flight — and adding to your bucket list:

• Bangkok - Coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab at Nahm
• Chicago - Spinach margherita deep dish pizza at Gino's East
• Dublin - Whole split lobster at Lobstar
• Florence - Tagliatelle al sugo at Trattoria Sabatino
• Guanacaste - Trilingual ceviche at HiR Fine Dining
• Hong Kong - Sunday brunch dim sum at Duddell's
• London - Sunday roast at Roast
• London - Meat fruit at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
• London - Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon
• Los Angeles - Zucchini lasagna at Plant Food + Wine
• Madrid - Jamón joselito at TATEL Madrid
• Melbourne - Sticky pork belly at Red Spice Road
• Mexico City - Mole madre at Pujol
• Munich - White sausage and pretzel at Wirtshaus zum Straubinger
• Montreal - Disco poutine at Deville Dinerbar
• New Orleans - Oyster po'boy at Emeril's New Orleans
• New York City - Porterhouse steak at Keens Steakhouse
• Oranjestad - Scallops tempura at The Kitchen Table by White
• Paris - Steak frites at Le Relais de l'Entrecote
• San Francisco - Roast chicken with bread salad at Zuni Cafe
• Shanghai- Double boiled fish maw soup, crab claw, sea whelk in coconut at Jin Xuan
• Singapore - Beef buah keluak at Candlenut
• Sydney - Wood-roasted moran family lamb at CHISWICK
• Tokyo - Kobo rainbow sushi at Itamae Sushi Edo
• Vancouver- Chilled seafood platter at COAST

For more culinary travel inspiration and to enter OpenTable's "Will Fly For Food" social media contest, visit the OpenTable blog. Prize includes dinner for two at the legendary Pujol restaurant in Mexico City, a walking culinary tour of Mexico City, round-trip airfare and three-nights of hotel accommodations for two.  

Follow OpenTable Canada on Twitter: @OpenTableCanada

About the Survey:

The survey was conducted online by more than 220 OpenTable diners aged 18 and older across Canada from April 16, 2017 through May 15, 2017.

About OpenTable:

OpenTable, part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), is the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations, seating more than 22 million diners per month via online bookings across more than 42,000 restaurants. The OpenTable network connects restaurants and diners, helping diners discover and book the perfect table and helping restaurants deliver personalized hospitality to keep guests coming back. The OpenTable service enables diners to see which restaurants have available tables, select a restaurant based on verified diner reviews, menus, and other helpful information, and easily book a reservation. In addition to the company's website and mobile apps, OpenTable powers online reservations for nearly 600 partners, including many of the Internet's most popular global and local brands. For restaurants, the OpenTable hospitality solutions enable them to manage their reservation book, streamline their operations, and enhance their service levels. Since its inception in 1998, OpenTable has seated over 1 billion diners around the world and more than 51 million in Canada. OpenTable is headquartered in San Francisco and has bookable restaurants in more than 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States.

OpenTable, OpenTable.com, OpenTable logos, and other service names are the trademarks of OpenTable, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

SOURCE OpenTable

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