Booking.com Reveals the Top Places to go for your Favorite Foods and how to Capture the Perfect Foodie Photo

NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

• Hershey, Pennsylvania voted the best for chocolate, Tillamook, Oregon for cheese and Lodi, California for wine^[i]
• Americans are among those posting the most foodie photos as part of their reviews
• Almost half of people (43%) indulge in a local delicacy within the first two hours of arriving in a destination^[ii]

Almost half (44%) of global travelers consider exploring global cuisines a hobby of theirs^[iii], so digging into the local delicacies of a culinary capital of the world is a treat many travelers can't wait to enjoy. With over half of people (51%) admitting to indulging in a local delicacy within 24 hours of arrival on holiday and seven in ten (69%) within two hours of arrival^[iv], Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, brings you the top destinations to explore for your favorite gastronomic pleasures, according to millions of Booking.com travel reviewers.

Pizza lovers should head to Naples, Italy, as Booking.com travelers rank this the best destination for the perfect pizza in their reviews. Celebrated for culinary know-how, Naples offers not only the best pizza but is a Unesco World Heritage Site with impressive archaeological riches to explore before a break for the iconic Neapolitan pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, a slice of heaven!

For sensational seafood check out Los Abrigos found on Spanish Canary Island, Tenerife's south coast. The sun soaked coastal village is awash with colorful fishing boats and the charming harbor is the perfect backdrop to enjoy the local shellfish.

Try delectable dim sum in Trang, Thailand. This tranquil hideaway offers secluded beaches and sublime turquoise waters on Thailand's far southern coast. Ahead of a day spent relaxing on the fine white sands or uncovering the lagoons, waterfalls and hidden caves, enjoy a local tradition of dim sum for breakfast alongside some real Thai coffee.  

Tokyo takes the first place for both sushi and ramen, no surprise as one of the world's most exhilarating dining destinations and the city boasts the world's highest volume of Michelin stars in any city. Beyond savoring these popular specialty dishes there is so much to see and do in this neon-bright lively city.

To find out where to head to for your favorite foodie dish or past time, Booking.com brings you the top location for each as endorsed by millions of Booking.com travel reviewers.

A photo good enough to eat

In addition to the pure pleasure of tasting new dishes, travelers can also get a thrill from taking photos of their food and sharing with others. This is a growing trend and what better time to get the most beautiful shot then from combining new food and travel. From the precision and beauty of gourmet dishes in uptown New York, to the color explosions in the street stalls of Indonesia, these moments provide the perfect opportunity to create mouth-watering photos for your social feeds.

The nationalities who are snapping and posting the most photos when it comes fanciful food in Booking.com reviews, are the artistic English, followed by the tech-savvy Americans and true food aficionados the Italians^[v].

Top 10 nationalities posting the most photos of food in their reviews 1 English 2 American 3 Italian 4 Russian 5 Chinese 6 Spanish 7 Japanese 8 German 9 French 10 Australian

Tips for taking the best food photo that make it look good enough to eat from Booking.com include:

• Make the most of the light - natural light is the best light to capture your tantalizing dish - to make the most of the natural light, pick a seat s by a window or in an outdoor area
• Think about the composition and shape - turn your food into a work of art and try multiple shots at multiple angles
• Keep the frame clean, tight and focus on the details of the food
• Don't overuse filters, let the beauty of the food speak for itself
• Capture people interacting with food
• Most importantly, take the photo quickly so you can enjoy your scrumptious photo subject!

Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com comments:

"Sometimes, there's no better way to get to know a destination than through their food. By using real traveler reviews and recommendations, you too can discover the best places to indulge in your favorite(or soon to be favorite) dishes. Not only does food play into the traveler'sdecisions of choosingtheir next destination, but it also plays into accommodation choices, as almost a third (30%) of people think it's important to have a great restaurant to take advantage of in an accommodation.^[vi] With over 1.2 million diverse accommodations to choose from on Booking.com, there are always opportunities to discover your next foodie hotspot!"  

About Booking.com 

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), Booking.com now employs more than 15,000 employees in 199 offices in 70 countries worldwide.

With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travellers with the world's largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in over 40 languages, offer over 1.3 million properties, and cover more than 110,000 destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide.

Each day, more than 1.4 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether travelling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal accommodation quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in 43 languages, any time of the day or night.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, and for the latest news, data and insights, please visit our global media room.

i. Booking.com analysts identified the top destinations by looking at which destinations had the highest numbers of endorsements for various foods and drinks by global travellers

ii. 18,496 respondents completed an online survey between 27th April and 15th May 2017  by Research Now (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan)

iii. According to data collected by Booking.com with 12,781 respondents across 13 markets in September 2016. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and had to be planning at least one trip for 2017. All respondents had to consider themselves part of their travel decision-making process

iv. 18,496 respondents completed an online survey between 27th April and 15th May 2017  by Research Now (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan)

v. Booking.com analysts looked at the count of nationalities who took the most food pictures as part of their review process

vi. 18,496 respondents completed an online survey between 27th April and 15th May 2017  by Research Now (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan)

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Booking.com US Press Office: Lauren Hanafin, lhanafin@hs-pr.com

SOURCE Booking.com