Quick summary: The World Food Travel Association has released the inaugural Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index which ranks the United Kingdom 13th out of 84 countries and emphasises sustainable foundations over fleeting popularity in food tourism. This highlights the need for stronger public policy and investment towards cultural preservation and local business support which can enhance community well being and deliver more authentic visitor experiences that benefit mental health through meaningful cultural connections. Governments and tourism boards now have a practical framework to identify gaps prioritise targeted development and build long term economic resilience in the sector.
The World Food Travel Association has released the inaugural Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index, the first global assessment evaluating long-term gastronomy tourism readiness across 84 countries. The UK ranked 13th, behind Italy, Ireland, the US and Spain.
The top ten countries are:
- Italy
- France
- Portugal
- Turkey
- Denmark
- Germany
- Japan
- Austria
- US
- Spain
Ireland and China sit just above the UK in the overall ranking.
Unlike rankings based on restaurant awards, social media visibility or visitor numbers, the index measures six dimensions: Heritage, Land, Experience, Leadership, Stewardship and Access. Together, these provide an independent assessment of a country’s readiness to support sustainable gastronomy tourism development.
“We have spent nearly three decades watching destinations chase visibility as a measure of success,” said Erik Wolf, Founder and Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association. “Popularity can attract visitors, but maturity determines whether a destination can sustain quality, protect its food culture, and remain competitive over time.”
The findings also underscore the distinction between popularity and maturity. High visitor volumes can create significant economic benefits, but they may also place strain on infrastructure, authenticity and visitor experience if growth is not carefully managed.
Selected findings
- UK: While the country benefits from extraordinary culinary diversity, extensive tourism infrastructure and a broad range of visitor experiences, the results highlight the increasingly competitive nature of gastronomy tourism worldwide.
- Thailand: Ranking 14th overall, Thailand achieved a perfect Leadership score, a distinction shared only with France and Italy. The result reflects decades of strategic government investment in promoting Thai food culture internationally.
- India: Despite possessing one of the world’s richest and most diverse culinary traditions, India ranks 34th overall. The index identifies a substantial gap between culinary heritage assets and visitor-facing gastronomy tourism experiences, highlighting significant opportunities for future development and international positioning.
The Gastronomy Tourism Maturity Index was developed to give governments, destination management organisations, tourism boards and investors a practical framework for assessing readiness, identifying gaps and prioritising investment. A complimentary executive summary is available now, with the full report including detailed country profiles, methodology and scoring across all 84 countries.