We often are asked who benefits from affiliation with the International Culinary Tourism Association. In other words, who do we serve? Briefly, we have the potential to be of benefit to businesses in the travel and foodservice trades, the media, academia and consumers.  Each of these constituents has identified culinary tourism as a key area of growth for their business. We partner with these constituents and help them best leverage what culinary tourism can offer their particular situation.

TRAVEL TRADE
Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are the segment of the travel industry that first expressed an interest in culinary tourism. This makes sense, as DMOs are like the tip of an iceberg in their communities. They conduct research and carry out strategic planning to develop and then market products appropriate for their destination and target market. DMOs continue to be keenly interested in our work. In the past couple of years, we have seen a surge in interest by hotel management groups, real estate investors, transportation providers and hospitality associations. In brief, everyone eats and we do so three times per day on average. Every sector of the travel industry has something to benefit from devoting attention to food and drink as tourism products, or attractions.

FOODSERVICE TRADE
Historically, the majority of the foodservice industry has turned a blind eye to tourism. The general feeling used to be "Why should we care? Tourists will only visit us once." That thinking is beginning to change and largely due to the pervasiveness of the Internet and influence of word of mouth. Forward-thinking local and independent restaurants, and the surge in interest in local, organic and sustainable farming, have all contributed to a new concern in the foodservice sector. Foodservice providers of all kinds see the power of the media, and how visitors can indeed influence locals with word of mouth. Additionally, local and independent foodservice establishments are facing increased competition from chain establishments. In order to compete and even survive, local and independent foodservice establishments and associations must organize and focus their efforts. The ICTA helps these groups do just that.

MEDIA
Journalists from around the world have identified the ICTA as the go-to resource for the culinary tourism industry. We regularly receive calls from nationally and internationally recognized magazines, newspapers and television producers, asking for interviews, inquiring about culinary tourism resources, and fact-checking for assigned articles. Time and time again, we have been that helpful partner to the media, and welcome inquiries from journalists anywhere on the globe. We also encourage inquiries in languages other than English.

ACADEMIA
Researchers provide a valuable service to the culinary tourism industry. They help draw the line between agriculture and cuisine. They help us gain a better understanding of consumer behavior, such as in a service setting, or when presenting with new culinary cultures and customs. They help compare culinary tourism in different areas of the world, which ultimately helps to contribute to an industry benchmark on culinary tourism development. The ICTA now serves as a resource to help support the voice of the academic culinary tourism community.

CONSUMERS
In the early years of the Association's life, we focused largely on the trade, and we had to in order to build a critical mass and establish our identity in the industry. Now that we have done that, we must reach out to consumers to help them understand the breadth of the culinary tourism industry, that culinary tourism is not agritourism, nor is it gourmet tourism or wine tourism.  To this end, the ICTA founded a separate organization to help develop and market culinary tourism products in conjunction with the culinary tourism industry. FoodTrekker.com is our flagship resource oriented for consumers (and media and trade alike).