A growing trend in the tourism industry is culinary tourism.
When people go on a holiday, many of them like to seek out the different restaurants available. They aren’t keen to go to the same restaurant night after night. In many cases, they want to find the restaurants that meet their tastes, so they want to know where they can get the best type of food in a community.
In other cases, they want to try something they have never had before.
We’ve all had that great meal in a restaurant while on a holiday that we fondly remember. And when we think back on that holiday, one of the things we associate with it is that great meal.
Tourism Estevan has decided to jump on the culinary tourism bandwagon, and Estevan is now part of the growing list of communities to offer a tour of local restaurants. The Appetizing Estevan Culinary Tour will offer a tour of four local restaurants on the final Friday of each month, and up to 16 people can take the tour and enjoy appetizers available at those businesses.
It’s a great idea by the city to do more to showcase what these restaurants have to offer. And while drinks are not included in the cost for the four-eatery tour, we expect this will still be a popular promotion.
An event like Savour the Southeast has shown that people want to try new things when it comes to food. And while Savour has become a big draw thanks to the variety of alcoholic drinks offered to the public, it’s also been a hit because of the different food options available.
We’re not sure how many people from out of town, or from outside the southeast, will be coming to Estevan to take this tour. Our suspicion is that most of the participants will be those who are from the community, who have been to these restaurants at some point in the past, and enjoyed the experience.
This will be a fun night out for people, particularly for those who genuinely enjoy good food.
And those who take the tour will remember the great food and service they received at that restaurant, and will want to bring visiting family and friends to that restaurant the next time they’re in town.
As for the restaurants themselves, if they’re given the opportunity to be part of this tour, they should jump at it. It’s a chance to promote their businesses, their food and their people.
At one time, Estevan had a reputation for limited selection in its restaurants. If you liked fast food, burgers and fries, pizza, steak, wings or Chinese food, you were in luck. Estevan had restaurants that served those meals, and did those meals well. But as the number of restaurants in the community has grown, and the selection at the existing restaurants has also grown, the dining options have diversified.
Some restaurants in Estevan have also tried to expand their customer base through such initiatives as paint nights.
The last few years haven’t been easy for Estevan’s restaurant community. We saw a lot of restaurants move into Estevan, thanks to the city’s growing population and the number of people coming to Estevan for short-term and medium-term work during the boom years.
A few restaurants have closed because the economy isn’t as strong as it was a few years ago; other restaurants have closed for other reasons. Those that have remained have succeeded because they’re still offering something people like.
Hopefully the people who take Estevan’s new culinary tour will find something they like in Estevan’s restaurants.
