Travellers Plan Trips Around Gastronomic Experiences this Valentine's Day

• Food becomes a central purpose for travel, with food-related bookings up by 43% YoY and surge in fine-dining interest 
• Gastronomic hubs such as Bangkok, Seoul and Tokyo are top flight destinations this Valentine's Day

SINGAPORE, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- How far are people willing to travel for food? This Valentine's Day, travellers are building their itineraries across gastronomic adventures, with gourmet experiences, such as fine-dining, soaring across the world. People are crossing borders just to get a taste of one-of-a-kind culinary experiences like never before.

Travelling for food is a trend that has seen increased momentum. No longer an afterthought, people are gravitating towards curated culinary experiences that serve as a central purpose for travel, with food-related bookings on Trip.com up by 43% YoY.

Additionally, Trip.com Group's Why Travel report found that in the first half of 2025, Google Trends worldwide searches for "food travel" have grown by 18% year-on-year (YoY), and searches for expert guide-led resources such as "Michelin Guide" have also increased.

Gourmet experiences, especially fine-dining, is seeing a surge in interest. Trip.com's latest data found that fine-dining searches demonstrated steady double-digit growth month-on-month, outperforming that of general restaurants. This trend is observed in several markets including Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan region, as well as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and United Kingdom^[1].

Dining searches increasingly reflect experience and scenario-driven intent, such as anniversary dining, atmosphere-focused venues and restaurants with views. This demonstrates the increasing appeal of unique culinary experiences combined with travel, to commemorate special occasions such as anniversaries, celebrations and get-togethers.

Top Valentine's Day Destinations: Bangkok, Seoul and Tokyo

With long weekend travel on the rise, the upcoming Valentine's Day presents a perfect opportunity to take a quick three to four days' getaway with that special someone. Travellers can make a long weekend trip by taking one day annual leave. Combined with the Lunar New Year holiday break this year, this can easily be extended into a week-long trip.