The Journal

For destinations looking to attract travelers, food is one of the most powerful marketing tools. But traditional food tourism often follows a predictable formula with restaurant visits, high-end dining, and chef-led food tours. While these approaches drive economic impact, they miss a major opportunity: connecting visitors to a destination in a deeper and more immersive way.

Travelers today aren’t just looking for a good meal. They crave experiences that engage their senses, connect them with local culture, and tell them compelling stories. From farmers markets to hands-on cooking experiences in breathtaking outdoor settings, food can be a bridge between people, place, and adventure.

To explore how destinations can rethink their approach, we spoke with Chef Corso, a classically trained chef and founder of Outdoor Eats. Through his travels and work in the culinary arts, he has discovered that integrating the outdoors into food tourism creates more engaging, accessible, and memorable experiences.

Beyond the Restaurant: Food as an Immersive Experience

Many food travel shows and marketing campaigns focus on telling visitors where to eat, but Chef Corso explains that the real opportunity is showing them how to engage with a destination’s food culture and public spaces.

“Instead of just recommending restaurants, let’s highlight the full experience by meeting artisans at the market, cooking or preparing a meal outdoors or foraging for local ingredients,” he says. “Some of the best food moments happen beyond the dining table.”

One of the biggest opportunities for DMOs and tourism boards is creating food experiences that go beyond the standard restaurant setting. Chef Corso suggests:

Market-to-meal storytelling: Highlighting local artisans and producers, and showing visitors how to turn fresh market finds into a regional dish at their vacation rental, or in the outdoors.

Trail-inspired culinary guides: Creating resources that help budget-friendly travelers experience local flavors through picnics, campfire meals, and scenic dining spots.

Outdoor cooking experiences: Setting up guided cooking experiences at scenic locations where travelers can learn to prepare meals inspired by local ingredients and communities, and enjoy them steps away from where they gathered the ingredients.

Chef Corso and local guide Mike von Grünigen enjoying freshly prepared local fondue in Gstaad, Switzerland

Chef shares a tasty and memorable example of how destinations can also highlight their unique local traditions, recalling his experience with public picnic areas set up as fondue pots in Switzerland.

“Switzerland is known for cheese and mountains, but the magic happens when you bring those two together in a way that’s fun, immersive, and unexpected,” Corso says. “They offer a ‘fondue backpack’ from the local creameries that includes a burner, pot, cheese, bread, fondue forks and even a bottle of wine!  All packed up for a quick hike to a picnic table that’s built in the shape of a big fondue pot that seats 8 people. What more could you want?! They’ve executed it so well that people want to visit just to have that experience.”

Hidden Gems: Unexpected Places for Food and Adventure

Great food and outdoor adventure aren’t limited to well-known destinations. Chef Corso discovered this firsthand while filming in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, which are two cities that are not typically recognized as outdoor hotspots.

“I didn’t know much about the food scene or outdoor communities in these places before we arrived. But I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Both cities have unique stories to tell, approachable outdoor activities, and incredible local ingredients worth celebrating,” says Chef Corso. “From catch-and-cook seafood to fresh fish dip, Vietnamese-inspired wraps, and Oysters Navidad, these destinations showed me that great food and outdoor adventure can be found in unexpected places.”

Budget Friendly Accessibility: A Key to Reaching More Travelers

A major shift in food tourism is making experiences more inclusive and accessible. Not every traveler can afford a high-end tasting menu, but that doesn’t mean they should miss out on a destination’s food culture.

“Food tourism doesn’t have to be expensive,” Corso points out. “You don’t need a five-course meal at a Michelin-star restaurant to experience the flavors of a destination. Sometimes, the best meals are the simplest—a well-packed picnic in the right location can be just as impactful as a fancy dinner.”

Destinations that offer a mix of experiences for travelers can attract a wider audience. From street food to immersive cooking adventures, a diverse range of activities appeals to budget-conscious travelers, families, and adventure seekers alike.

A Fresh Take on Food Storytelling

For Chef Corso, the old approach to promoting food tourism misses one key ingredient: the outdoors.

“Food isn’t just about what’s on the plate; it’s about experiencing a destination through its flavors, people, and traditions,” he explains. “By blending food storytelling with nature and outdoor adventure, you create a deeper connection. It’s not just about a great dish, it’s about the place, the moment, and the story behind it.  Through this, lasting memories are created”

Outdoor Eats has built its brand around this idea, bringing high-quality, approachable meals to trails, public spaces, and scenic locations. By shifting the focus from fine dining to immersive food experiences, Chef Corso believes destinations can reach a broader audience and engage travelers in a more meaningful way.

Chef Corso and Chef Rob Reinsmith, Owner and Head Chef of Wild Child, cooking lunch together in a local St. Pete-Clearwater, Florida park.

The Power of Food in Destination Marketing

For DMOs and tourism boards looking to strengthen their storytelling, Chef Corso emphasizes the importance of narratives for food tourism.

“Food is a story. It’s history, culture, and tradition wrapped into something you can taste,” Corso says. “Destinations that highlight the people behind the food, the landscapes that shape the cuisine, and the experiences that make it unique will stand out.”

Show the full food journey: Go beyond plated dishes and highlight the local farmers, fishers, foragers, chefs or ingredients that make a destination’s food scene unique.

Create moments of collaboration: Allow visitors to engage in food experiences, whether it’s cooking, foraging, or provisioning ingredients themselves.

Lean into local authenticity: Focus on the unique flavors and traditions that set a region apart, rather than trying to replicate what other destinations are doing.

Celebrate food in the outdoors: Invite travelers to experience meals in nature. Whether that’s through campfire cooking, beachside seafood boils, trailside tastings or park picnics that highlights the region’s natural beauty and outdoor activities.

Chef Corso and local foraging expert Nadja Beck-Nigg of Triesenberg in Liechtenstein, cooking up a light lunch of pasta with herbs, cheese and snake bread.

A New Path Forward for Food Tourism

As travelers seek more immersive experiences, destinations that rethink food tourism will gain a competitive edge. Instead of just promoting where to eat, they have the opportunity to create deeper, and lasting memories through food and the outdoors.

“When we look back on our travels, it’s not just the meals we remember, it’s the moments,” Corso says. “Who we were with, where we were, and the story behind it. Destinations that bring those elements together will win travelers’ hearts every time.”

By shifting the focus from restaurants to immersive, accessible, and adventure-driven food experiences, destinations can capture new audiences, strengthen their appeal, and create lasting tourism impact.

For DMOs and tourism boards looking to elevate their food tourism strategy, working with experts like Chef Corso and Outdoor Eats offers a new way forward by combining adventure, authenticity, and storytelling into unforgettable culinary experiences.

Follow Chef Corso
Instagram: @outdooreats365
Facebook: @outdooreats365
YouTube: @ChefCorso

About the Author

McKenzie Dolan is Heliconia’s Marketing Manager, and is a seasoned marketing professional with a passion for the outdoor and adventure travel industry. McKenzie brings several years of expertise in digital marketing strategies, project management, and creative direction. McKenzie’s work focuses on elevating brand awareness and visibility through compelling outdoor adventure content. 

About Heliconia

Our mission is simple – to ‘Guide People to a Lifetime of Adventure’. Heliconia specializes in creating and producing travel TV shows like Outdoor Eats, that are broadcast into over 100M+ US TV households on platforms like Discovery Channel, PBS, FanDuel Sports Networks, and OutsideTV. From outdoor adventures to family escapes and culinary journeys, our productions inspire audiences to explore the world. Curious about who Heliconia is? Watch our promo reel or explore any of our other shows here: Adventure Cities, Great Family Adventure, Facing Waves, Epic Trails or Road Trip Angler

If you’re ready to explore how Chef Corso and Heliconia can showcase food tourism in your destination, schedule a call with Stefanie Manton, Heliconia’s Tourism Partnership Manager.

👉 Book a call with Stefanie here

If you’re interested in finding out more about Heliconia’s new Television Advertising Platform, please schedule a call with our Ads Manager, Adam Best.

👉 Book a call with Adam here

Heliconia’s Partner Portal offers a powerful solution for tourism boards and destinations to track their campaign performance. Our Partner Portal offers real-time analytics across television, social media, and YouTube, as well as on-demand access to a library of royalty-free photo and video assets. To learn more about Heliconia’s Partner Portal, book a call for a demo or walkthrough of this innovative platform.

👉 Book a demo of our Partner Portal

For tourism partnership inquiries, contact:

Stefanie Manton
Tourism Partnership Manager
stefanie@helipress.com 

For Commercial Sales:
Adam Best
Ad Sales Manager
adam@heliconia.ca 

For Brand Partnerships:
Malvin Young
Brand Alignment Manager
malvin@helipress.com 

For Media Inquiries:
McKenzie Dolan
Marketing Manager
mckenzie@heliconia.ca