By Olly Reed, Marketing Director
The most popular activity on a UK holiday at the start of 2026 is not zip-lining, immersive theatre or being mildly traumatised by a man in Roman armour. It is… eating something local.
According to VisitEngland research, the single most cited activity for UK holidays and short breaks between January and March 2026 is “trying local food and drink”, chosen by 29% of respondents, ahead of walking, heritage sites, cultural places or anything that might reasonably be described as an “attraction”. When spring arrives, walking and hiking take the top spot, but food and drink remains joint second, still chosen by more than a quarter of visitors.
This is not a lifestyle trend. It is a behaviour. And one I must say, I’m partial to myself!
The wider data backs it up relentlessly. The European Travel Commission reports that Europeans now prioritise spending on accommodation and food above activities, shopping, wellness or luxury experiences. Food and drink alone account for around 24% of expected travel spend (second only to accommodation) and significantly ahead of shopping (8%) and wellness (6%). Among travellers aged over 55, spending on food and drink rises further, making it one of the most resilient categories in the entire travel economy.
Nationwide’s 2026 spending outlook adds another uncomfortable layer: consumers are still spending on holidays, concerts and wellbeing, but delaying big-ticket purchases. In other words, people are travelling, but they are scrutinising value. Barclays’ travel trends research echoes this shift, showing demand moving decisively toward experience-led trips that feel meaningful, shareable and emotionally rewarding, rather than transactional.
Food sits squarely in the middle of all of this. Which makes it odd that so many visitor attractions still treat it as an operational inconvenience.
For decades, most food in attractions has occupied a strange emotional space. Too expensive to feel casual. Too forgettable to feel special. Good enough not to complain about. Bad enough to remember. A triumph of process over imagination.
What the data suggests
The data now suggests that approach is actively misaligned with visitor priorities.
People are not asking for cheaper food. They are asking for food that feels like it belongs.
Sometimes that means premium, and not pretending otherwise. The Design Museum’s infamous Tim Burton afternoon tea worked because it wasn’t positioned as “good catering”. It was positioned as part of the exhibition. A designed, narrative-led experience that translated visual culture into something edible. Visitors shared it not because it was food, but because it felt like participation.
Sometimes it means local and grounded. Leading farm park William’s Den doesn’t behave as though feeding people is a necessary evil between activities. Its food offer reflects place, audience and values, quality ingredients, recognisable dishes, no sense that visitors are being punished for not bringing a packed lunch. It aligns neatly with what VisitBritain’s research repeatedly shows, visitors increasingly seek authenticity, regional identity and experiences that feel rooted rather than generic.
And sometimes it means ethical coherence. The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary’s vegan café is not a branding exercise. It is simply what happens when an organisation’s mission is followed through to lunchtime. In a market where sustainability is no longer niche, and where VisitBritain data shows growing expectation around responsible tourism, this kind of consistency builds trust.
What unites these examples is not cuisine or price point. It is intention.
The same VisitEngland research that puts food at the top of winter activity lists also shows culture, heritage and nature dominating travel motivation. These are not “luxury” visitors. They are value-conscious, experience-led, often travelling closer to home. Food becomes one of the quickest ways to signal that a place is worth the trip.
A forgettable café quietly undermines everything else. A good one thickens the memory.
There is also a blunt commercial reality here. Food and drink is one of the few areas where visitors still accept premium pricing, provided quality and story justify it. People hesitate over retail. They skip upgrades. But they will spend on a meal that feels like part of the day rather than a tax on hunger. A shared experience around the table.
So the question for visitor attractions in 2026 is not “how do we increase secondary spend?” It is “what do people remember about eating here?”
If the answer is “we left early and got a sandwich on the way home”, the spreadsheets won’t save you. If the answer is “it was surprisingly good”, the data suggests they’ll return, and recommend you.
Food is no longer support staff. It is front-of-house. It is one of the clearest expressions of experience value available to attractions right now.
Treat it like an experience, and visitors will pay for it, share it, and build it into the story of their visit. Ignore it, and you will continue serving the most important part of the day with a recyclable fork and the faint sense that nobody in the organisation really wanted to talk about lunch at all.
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