OpenTable Survey Reveals Two-Thirds of Americans "Will Fly for Food"

SAN FRANCISCO, June 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), today announced the findings of its "Will Fly for Food" survey, pointing to growing interest among Americans in culinary travel. According to the survey, two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans would select a travel destination based solely on its culinary offerings, while more than half (52 percent) have already traveled to the country of origin of their favorite cuisine.

"Americans are redefining their travel bucket lists not by where they want to go, but by what they want to eat," said Caroline Potter, Chief Dining Officer, OpenTable. "While traveling, they're also not afraid to experiment with local cuisine, and make more adventurous dining decisions."

"When in Rome" – An Appetite for Authentic and Local
Travelers are experiencing leisure destinations via their palate, with a majority (58 percent) "significantly" associating a destination's culture with its culinary scene and dining customs. When deciding on where to dine, nearly 8 in 10 (78 percent) Americans prioritize restaurants that offer "authentic, local flavors." Further underscoring a strong desire to dine like the locals do, fifty-two percent of Americans say they've flown to the country of origin of their favorite cuisine, and nearly 9 in 10 (87 percent) admit they feel more inclined to make adventurous ordering decisions while traveling for leisure.

Dream Dining Destinations – A Top 10 Look
Vacation planning is not something Americans take lightly, especially when it comes to food. An impressive three-fourths (75 percent) of Americans have booked a reservation in advance of a leisure trip. As far as where they'd like to book their next dream foodie trip, the beloved "City of Lights" – Paris, France – takes top prize, followed closely by Florence, Italy. Rounding out the top five dream dining destinations are Barcelona, Spain; New Orleans, Louisiana; and New York, New York.

The top 10 dream dining destinations cited by American diners in rank order are:

• Paris
• Florence
• Barcelona
• New Orleans
• New York City
• Tokyo
• Bangkok
• San Francisco
• Madrid
• Chicago

Culinary Passport – 25 Fly to Try Dishes

Just in time for summer travel, OpenTable has curated a list of must-try dishes from dining destinations from around the globe. Those hoping to stamp their culinary passport with new and exciting "dish-tinations" this season might find the below well worth the flight:

• Bangkok – Coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab at Nahm
• Chicago – Spinach margherita deep dish pizza at Gino's East
• Dublin – Whole split lobster at Lobstar
• Florence – Tagliatelle al sugo at Trattoria Sabatino
• Guanacaste – Trilingual ceviche at HiR Fine Dining
• Hong Kong – Sunday brunch dim sum at Duddell's
• London – Sunday roast at Roast
• London – Meat fruit at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
• London – Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon
• Los Angeles – Zucchini lasagna at Plant Food + Wine  
• Madrid – Jamón joselito at TATEL Madrid
• Melbourne – Sticky pork belly at Red Spice Road
• Mexico City – Mole madre at Pujol
• Munich – White sausage and pretzel at Wirtshaus zum Straubinger
• Montreal – Disco poutine at Deville Dinebar
• New Orleans – Oyster po'boy at Emeril's New Orleans
• New York City – Porterhouse steak at Keens Steakhouse  
• Oranjestad – Scallops tempura at The Kitchen Table by White
• Paris – Steak frites at Le Relais de l'Entrecote  
• San Francisco – Roast chicken with bread salad at Zuni Cafe
• Shanghai– Double boiled fish maw soup, crab claw, sea whelk in coconut at Jin Xuan
• Singapore – Beef buah keluak at Candlenut
• Sydney – Wood-roasted moran family lamb at CHISWICK
• Tokyo – Kobo rainbow sushi at Itamae Sushi Edo
• Vancouver– Chilled seafood platter at COAST

For more culinary travel inspiration and to enter OpenTable's "Will Fly For Food" social media contest, visit the OpenTable blog. Prize includes dinner for two at the legendary Pujol restaurant in Mexico City, a walking culinary tour of Mexico City, round-trip airfare and three-nights of hotel accommodations for two.  

About the Survey:
The survey was conducted online by more than 3,400 OpenTable diners aged 18 and older across the US from April 14 through May 16, 2017.

About OpenTable:
OpenTable, part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), is the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations, seating more than 22 million diners per month via online bookings across more than 42,000 restaurants. The OpenTable network connects restaurants and diners, helping diners discover and book the perfect table and helping restaurants deliver personalized hospitality to keep guests coming back. The OpenTable service enables diners to see which restaurants have available tables, select a restaurant based on verified diner reviews, menus, and other helpful information, and easily book a reservation. In addition to the company's website and mobile apps, OpenTable powers online reservations for nearly 600 partners, including many of the Internet's most popular global and local brands. For restaurants, the OpenTable hospitality solutions enable them to manage their reservation book, streamline their operations, and enhance their service levels. Since its inception in 1998, OpenTable has seated over 1 billion diners around the world.  OpenTable is headquartered in San Francisco and has bookable restaurants in more than 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States.

OpenTable,OpenTable.com, OpenTable logos, and other service names are the trademarks of OpenTable, Inc. and/or its affiliates

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SOURCE OpenTable