Jacob Holder of Taste of Thailand
TASTE OF THAILAND
Hearing the fascinating , nitty-gritty details of local lore is a tourism trend that links up with travelers ’ continual hunt for memorable experiences . Knowing the power of a good tale , American expat Jacob Holder made storytelling a key ingredient for his food tour company , Taste of Thailand . The following is an example of one of them :
The family-operated Prachak Ped Yang shophouse in Bangkok is more than a century old . It started out , four generations ago , as a humble street stall , where a woman who ’ d recently immigrated to Thailand from Guangdong sold her delicious Cantonese duck : savory meat and crispy skin , served with a sweet , mouthwatering sauce . Her amateur cooking garnered so much attention that her little food stall became a fullblown restaurant .
Today , Prachak Ped Yang is still much-loved . It attracts members of the local community , tourists , and
even Bangkokians from other neighborhoods , who battle gridlock traffic just to enjoy another plate of comforting Chinese fare — and to feel a part of this legendary eatery .
“ On our tours , we want to talk about the breadth and depth of the cuisine — and the people behind it — through intimate stories . The stories can be about food , people or architecture ,” says Holder . But while stories certainly play an important supporting role , the real star for Holder and his customers is , naturally , the salty , sweet , spicy , sour , diverse wonder of Thai cuisine .
To tourists , food is no longer something you grab on the run while darting from one historic site , park or museum to the next . “ Food is the new black ,” Holder says , speaking of the trendiness of all things edible .
According to him , 30 percent of a traveler ’ s budget is spent on chow — that ’ s a substantial chunk of budgets going to calories . It makes sense , though , when you consider that “ foodies ” are a growing market segment and one that is continually branching off into smaller and more specific niches . For Taste of Thailand , it means business is good .
Tip : Check out Prachak Ped Yang on Taste of Thailand ’ s “ Bites and Sights in the Village of Love ” tour .
FEAST THAILAND
Another entrepreneur sinking her teeth into food tourism is Leigh Higgins , an Aussie expat based out of Hua Hin . Higgins was a frequent Thailand tourist for about 30 years , until she and her husband decided to explore setting up a food tour company in Thailand . In this way , they could make their favorite vacation destination their country of residence , while securing non-stop access to delightful Thai food .
The couple made several trips to Thailand for market research before taking the plunge . As they sampled food tours across the country , the couple noticed a severe lack of choice . No matter where they went , there was always green curry or phad thai . They ’ d be served about seven or eight full dishes — just the popular ones — which didn ’ t do justice to the diversity of Thai cuisine .
But when they experienced a tour that served guests about 40 “ tapas-style ” items , it was a refreshing change of pace . This experience would later inspire Feast Thailand . In June of 2016 , the couple relocated to the Land of Smiles and the first Feast Thailand tour ran by October of the same year .
Targeting has being central to landing customers for Feast Thailand . As an anecdotal example , the company launched a wonderful trip called , “ Morning Market & Street Food Tour ,” but it wasn ’ t exactly pulling in the crowds as expected . When they made the decision to rename this exact same itinerary as the “ Foodies Tour ,” suddenly bookings shot right up . The label “ foodies ” helped food tour shoppers feel more confident in their choice .
The lessons learned from these food tour aficionados ? Give people stories . ( And tasty food .) Give people choices . ( In this case , bite-sized is best .) And be sure to give people a way to self-identify . In the age of online booking , the right buzzwords make a big impact .
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