Every second Russian returns to other countries for the sake of local cuisine.

Every second Russian has returned to a city or country at least once for the sake of local cuisine. In addition, many tourists continue to order their favorite products after returning home — chocolate caviar, honey with truffle and octopus-flavored chips are among the unusual gastropub packages. This is evidenced by the results of a joint study by the logistics operator SDEK and the travel planning service OneTwoTrip, which was reviewed on July 13 by Izvestia.

According to the survey, local cuisine has become an almost mandatory part of travel: 92% of respondents always try local dishes. Tourists most often choose national cuisine (93%), local sweets (45%), exotic products (39%) and seafood (37%). Street food (35%), regional alcohol (31%) are also popular, and one in four travelers starts exploring a new place with local coffee or tea.

The respondents named Kazan as the main gastronomic capital of Russia — 54% of the survey participants voted for it. The top five also included St. Petersburg (52%), Vladivostok (49%), Kaliningrad (47%) and Makhachkala (45%). The top ten most attractive gastronomic destinations are Moscow, Murmansk, Vladikavkaz, Petrozavodsk and Sochi.

According to OneTwoTrip, Makhachkala, Murmansk and Vladivostok remain the most affordable among these destinations, where a night in a hotel will cost an average of 5.6 thousand to 7.5 thousand rubles. Moscow and Kazan turned out to be the most expensive for domestic gastro travel — the cost of accommodation here reaches an average of 9.6 thousand rubles per night.

Russians named Italy the best country for gastronomic tourism — 64% of the study participants chose it. This is followed by Georgia (55%) and Russia (51%), which was ahead of France, China, Spain, Greece, Armenia, Japan and Uzbekistan.

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At the same time, tourists appreciate different countries for their different gastronomic features. People travel to Italy, France, Spain, Japan and Uzbekistan for the sake of national cuisine, to Georgia, Russia, Greece and Armenia for a variety of dishes and products, and China attracts fans of unusual gastronomic experiences.

Uzbekistan, Georgia and Armenia turned out to be the most budget-friendly foreign destinations for gastrotourism, where the average cost of accommodation is 10-11 thousand rubles per night. France, Italy and Spain remain the most expensive — from 20.5 thousand to 27.2 thousand rubles.

More than half of Russians admitted that they always bring local products from trips. Sweets (71%), cheeses (56%), spices and sauces (53%), tea or coffee (46%), and meat delicacies (45%) are most often sent to the suitcase. Alcohol is brought by 40% of tourists, local snacks — one in four.

The study also showed that for many travelers, gastronomic experiences become an excuse to return to familiar places. Thus, 59% of Russians have visited a city or country at least once for the sake of local cuisine. Italy, Thailand and Turkey were most often named among foreign destinations, while St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kazan were named within Russia.

On February 10, Bekir Dolmush, a travel agent and representative of the Alanya tourism sector, urged not to rely on affordable prices for holidays in Turkey this summer, as the crisis in the Middle East has complicated the economic and tourism plans of the country's authorities. He clarified that the uncertainty of the situation increases business costs, for example, for energy, logistics and food.