Indians vote for Goa, Italy for gastronomic holidays: Survey

New Delhi [India], Dec 3 (ANI): Aimed to uncover key habits and preferences of Indians with respect to dinning out, and how much food influences holiday planning, a survey revealed Goa and Italy are on top of their mind when they plan gastronomic vacations.

The findings are part of travel site TripAdvisor's second edition of its annual 2017 India Gastronomy Survey.

"India is a gastronomical paradise with its wide array of cuisines and it is said that there is no better way to experience Indian culture than through food. The findings from the 2017 India Gastronomic Survey underscore the importance of food on holiday and that Indians are only set to become even more thoughtful about the foodie experiences they have whether they are travelling domestically or overseas," said Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India.

Findings from the survey reveal that Indians frequent restaurants often (35% 'one to two' times per month and 33% once per week) but it's even more on top of mind while travelling as 48% said dining out and restaurant selection is important to their overall trip experience.

Other findings include:

- 60% of Indians intend to plan a gastronomic getaway in 2018.

-74% of respondents have either planned or intend to plan a gastronomic getaway soon to a destination specifically 'to try the food it is famous' for and 71% have plans to visit a 'particular restaurant'.

-Goa (49%), Kerala (35%) and Lucknow (33%) voted the top domestic destinations Indians would love to visit specifically for their cuisine.

-Italy (90%), Thailand (34%) and France (26%) are the top international destinations.

- Key influencers: 44% acknowledged that awards play an important role in their restaurant selection process and 32% have visited a restaurant because of its celebrity chef. (ANI)