Food tour is one of the travelers love to book on their vacation. From food tour, you get to experience the authenticity of the local culture and learning more about it while enjoying heavenly taste. However, it is pretty often that the operators don’t provide you authentic food tour experience and more like milking the money out of your pocket. Trusted food tour operators highlight the local culture and also give back to the native communities. And this is how you see if the food tour is authentic.
Booking authentic, ethical food tours
When it comes to finding authentic food tours, it is important for you to consider various factors, not only the food itself. It is best to read and understand things that the operator give you through their guide or program. You can see if their tour is authentic and highlighting native culture or not. and here are more tips to avoid booking inauthentic food tour for your next travel plan:
Always do your research
It is recommended to book a food tour from locally owned small companies. You can start searching online and visit their website. Read through their website and see what they offer. Try to check their social media platforms as well to see if they truly do what they say. If you have something you don’t really understand, email them and ask questions freely but politely. Ask about anything you like, more importantly about their ethical practices.
Avoid booking from third party sites
Food tours experts recommend you to book food tour directly from their official website instead of a third party site. It is because you cannot really see what the company is all about if you book from large platforms or third party sites. Also, third party sites usually charge relatively high for their commission so it is hard for small companies to make profit while they have to also deliver good quality service.
Read the reviews diligently
To avoid booking inauthentic food tours, it is best that you read the reviews first to see what the previous guests are saying from their experience. The previous guests also often post their own pictures so you can see food portion sample in compare to the real one. Also, try to find food tour company that is small enough that the owner is there every day, serving the guests themselves.
Check the price point
Paying attention to the price tagged by the operator plays huge roles in helping you decide what type of business operation that they run. If the price is too cheap, the is high possibility that the business operation is more on abusive side with the community. Or maybe they rely heavily on discount from vendors or big groups to make a profit. And what you have to be cautious of is those big groups because they tend to be damaging to the local life and community. Make sure that you choose an operator that gives back to the local community and support local economic growth.