Food now drives travel the way beaches and landmarks once did. In 2026, the intersection of travel and gastronomy reached a tipping point. According to Outlook Traveller, roughly 31% of travelers now rank food as their primary driver, making culinary exploration the runner-up travel motivation worldwide. “Grocery tourism,” experiential dining, and intentional food tracking now fuel the global culinary tourism market. Rapid double-digit growth rates (CAGR) projected through 2032. From Michelin-starred destinations to your neighborhood grocery aisle, here’s where flavor takes you next.

Michelin’s 2026 16 best food destinations

The Michelin Guide released a highly anticipated list of the 16 Best Places to Travel for Food Lovers in 2026. The edit spans established gastronomic capitals undergoing luxury culinary renaissances, as well as emerging hubs gaining international acclaim through newly introduced local guides. In Europe, Venice, Italy, tops the list, with famous tables getting upgrades alongside new luxury hotel launches. The Dolomites follow, boosted by Olympic attention, then the Amalfi Coast, Wroclaw (Poland), and Czechia beyond Prague. A newly launched MICHELIN Guide signals a culinary coming-of-age for Saudi Arabia. Desert stays like Caravan by Habitas AlUla and island hotels like Two-Key Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, represent the range on offer. In Asia, highlights include Cappadocia, Türkiye, Jiangsu Province, China, and The Philippines, with MICHELIN Guides now live in both Manila and Cebu. In North America, Route 66 earns a dedicated guide covering dining across the Southwest. The American South and Florida both make the cut, and the guide moves northward to Boston, Philadelphia, and Canada.

The global ingredients hiding in your local supermarket

Travelers swap superficial sightseeing for immersive food experiences, and that appetite follows them home. “Shelf discovery” trips to artisan markets and “grocery tourism” now rank among the most sought-after travel activities. Travel mementos shifted away from plastic trinkets, too. Data shows that 84% of culinary travelers now buy design-led pantry items, such as cold-pressed olive oils, local spices, or handcrafted kitchen tools, to recreate travel memories at home. That momentum fuels growing consumer interest in specialty grocers, international grocery stores, and global flavors in supermarket aisles. Modern AI recipe-matching platforms pair well with targeted local shopping. Start with apps that generate recipes from ingredients you already own, then bridge the gap by swapping exotic items with supermarket substitutes and rediscovering neighborhood international grocers. The “International Aisle” offers browsing by specific ethnic sections (Asian, Hispanic, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian, Caribbean, or Kosher aisles) for staples like curry pastes, coconut milk, authentic dry spices, fish sauce, and masa harina. For those who want less friction between inspiration and dinner, a new wave of food services makes global cooking effortless.

Take an easy flight to flavor

For the cooking-challenged, or anyone seeking an easier route to international flavors after a long day at work, food services deliver. Marley Spoon, founded in Berlin, Germany, now operates in Australia, the United States, and Europe, making international dishes like Persian Turmeric Chicken with Dilled Rice approachable on any weeknight. eat2explore offers a Monthly Explorer Box for curious cooks, while Global Grub delivers DIY kits with all the fixings, including everything needed for Mochi Ice Cream. Behind all of it, the science of flavor makes the journey enjoyable.

Symrise tracks global viral recipes and hyper-local restaurant movements via the Symvision AI Platform to predict “the next big dish.” A global network of chefs conducts physical culinary trials, captures regional secrets and trends on the ground, and interviews home cooks to decode hyper-local dishes. To match what travelers taste abroad, Symrise uses kitchen-like manufacturing processes, including specialized extraction and drying, to scale up regional profiles such as authentic West African spice blends and Levantine herbs. The homemade essence stays intact. We hope your summer culinary adventures take you somewhere delicious!

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Holidays offer the perfect time to gather, slow down, and share something warm and special. When the weather turns cold and days get busy, all you need comes from a warm bowl of homemade soup. Cozy, comforting, and full of flavor, it represents the perfect way to warm up and wind down. Bring that same comfort to your holiday table with seasonal soups made from fresh ingredients and bold flavors.

Serve creamy and light vegetable bisques as a starter, or make heartier recipes like Italian wedding soup, spinach tortellini, or broccoli cheddar as the main event for a casual Christmas Eve dinner. For the Feast of the Seven Fishes, try a rich seafood chowder or lobster bisque. Or explore global traditions with pho, pozole, tom kha gai, or avgolemono for a festive, flavorful twist. Ready to find the perfect recipe for your holiday menu? Read on for inspiration and ideas to add that certain warmth to your gatherings!

Classic comfort soups

Popular holiday soups for the 2025 season feature rich, comforting classics and modern twists, including creamy options, hearty chilies, and elegant purees. You will certainly earn a lot of praise for serving timeless favorites, including French onion soup, topped with melted gruyère over a baguette slice. Butternut squash or pumpkin soup continues the harvest festivities with a sweet, earthy profile, which you can enhance with spices like sage, a touch of orange, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Creamy potato soup too, has seen a “comeback” in 2025. Clam chowder also offers a popular holiday choice for many families, offering a creamy, satisfying blend of potatoes and clams. Cream of mushroom soup can serve as a light and flavorful option that leaves room for the main course.

Hearty & flavorful options

For a more substantial soup course or a light holiday meal, you can make some great choices with reimagined Italian classics like lasagna soup, tortellini, or vegetable-packed minestrone. Plant-based options abound, such as this spinach, artichoke, and white bean soup. The festive green color alone should make a vibrant culinary statement! New takes on chili styles include pumpkin chili and white chicken chili, offering warm spices and a break from the usual holiday fare.

Top global & regional holiday favorites

Globally, holiday soups in 2025 will blend traditional comfort with innovative flavors, offering a unique blend of nostalgia and modernity. Regional classics like Paraguayan Vori Vori, Vietnamese Phở, and Mexican Pozole are trending alongside vegetable-forward and globally-spiced options in Europe and the Middle East. In Georgia, Kharcho, a flavorful soup made with beef, rice, and cherry plums, offers a rich culinary experience. Harira (Morocco) and Chorba Frik (Algeria) offer vibrant, spiced flavors, while red lentil soups cater to health-conscious trends. Consider soups an all-day option—with ramen bars trending and Japanese miso soup for breakfast!

You can prepare many of these holiday soup recipes ahead of your holiday celebration, freeing up some of your limited prep time. Elevate any soup with garnishes like fresh herbs, a drizzle of cream or olive oil, or homemade croutons. Whether soup serves as a staple on your menu or you’re looking to shake things up, these holiday soups form the perfect addition to your festive meal. Symrise celebrates the way soups bring people together, offering comfort and connection across tables and traditions. Wherever the season takes you, a bowl of soup speaks a universal language of warmth, belonging, and shared joy: turning even the coldest night into a moment to remember.

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