Airbnb for food wants to deal with industry

More people want to eat together than to stay together

There appears to be a new type of travel sharing economy appetite growing – and it’s much bigger than staying overnight in a stranger’s house.

A new survey by VizEat, Europe’s a new immersive food experience platform, found that 56 per cent of people in the UK and 71 per cent in the US would eat at a local’s home whilst travelling

Moreover, says the VizEat survey the majority of people in both the US and UK would be happy to host for dinner a traveller from another city in their own home

VizEat now has 22,000 hosts in 110 countries and it’s looking to cater to an increasing trend of travellers seeking authentic and food-based travel experiences

And now the organization is looking to partner with the global travel industry – hence its presence at ITB.

VizEat can be accessed through desktop or on-the-go with a free iOS and Android app. Apple selected VizEat in the top three apps of 2016 and CEO Tim Cook came for a VizEat lunch in Paris https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/06/tim-cook-tours-france/  early February.

Travellers and local hosts in more than 110 countries can use the application to discover and share meals, such as a dinner, as well as cooking classes, food tours, afternoon tea, wine tasting and much more, all over the world.

VizEat can also work with travel, events and conference agencies access to its platform interface.

Jean-Michel Petit, co-founder and CEO of VizEat, say these findings show that whilst people are increasingly open to the travel sharing economy, they’d much rather use it for shorter periods of time.

"You cannot replicate dining with locals through other methods and people, on the whole, welcome a way that allows them to meet and have authentic food experiences in the cities they’re visiting," says Jean-Michel.

The food tourism industry is booming. A recent survey of 14,000 people across Europe revealed one in 10 Brits would go on a ‘foodie’ holiday in 2016. A 2013 US study had seen an 11 per cent increase in seven years of travellers who were keen to learn about and enjoy unique dining experiences whilst on holiday.

Co-founder and COO of VizEat, Camille Rumani says the modern-day traveller now faces a paradox, of sorts.

"It’s never been easier to travel as it is today but yet, it’s also harder than ever to meet locals. Travellers are increasingly seeking authentic experiences. That means, for many people, eating as the locals do. This authentic experience allows a guest to get a fantastic insight into their host’s life – their family and their culture – as well as picking up insider tips and ideas about what else to do and where else to eat in the place they’re visiting," says Camille.

Built around a sharing economy business model, co-founder Jean-Michel Petit originally thought of the idea in Peru while sharing an Indian meal with locals on Lake Titicaca. For co-founder Camille Rumani, inspiration struck during her time in Beijing where she was invited to spend Chinese New Year with a friendly family.

Valere Tjolle

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