Exploring international aisles: The rise of supermarket tourism
There has been a lot of buzz online about an unusual travel style expected to be popular in 2025. This trend is known as food tourism, which aims to attract tourists by leading them to supermarkets. What is this new trend all about?
Supermarket or food tourism, which involves traveling abroad for the purpose of shopping at grocery stores, is expected to become a major travel trend. Travel company Expedia predicts that by 2025, travelers will embark on "grocery tours" to seek out items they cannot purchase at home and feel they cannot do without.
A new era of "souvenirs"
One of the first people to implement this trend on social media is Jessica Jayne, whose TikTok posts include grocery shopping as part of the cultural experience. One such post is about her visit to the Greek island of Santorini.
The video shows her buying Oreo cookies in various flavours, Lays Pizza Hut chips, and Lacta chocolate in lesser-known flavours like banoffee. "Going to a grocery store could technically be counted as sightseeing, right? Because not only is it a cultural experience, but you can also find lots of stuff to bring back as souvenirs," Jessica reports.
"This may be controversial, but I think that the best thing to do while travelling is going to the grocery store," explains the TikTok user in a now-popular video about her experiences visiting Malaysian supermarkets.
Gathering goods as a part of the cultural experience
Supermarket tourism can turn colourful grocery stores, quirky local shops, and specialty supermarkets around the world into travel destinations in their own right.
Exploring the places where locals shop allows vacationers to get to know local cultures through food, ingredients, and shopping habits. Often, supermarkets and grocery stores offer insight into a region's culinary traditions, popular products, and everyday life. Do you think this new trend will catch on?
