Mmmmm....a finger-licking holiday

TRAVEL: Culinary adventure trips, with cooking classes thrown in, gain popularity.

Anu Mathew and her mother-in-law run the 50-acre Phillipkutty's farm, on an unchartered man-made island in Kerala's Kottayam district. Between the months of October and March, travellers "" predominantly European "" head for the six water-front cottages for lessons on traditional agrarian living.

Between studying the sustainable practices followed at the family-run toddy, cocoa and nutmeg plantations, fishing for karimeen (a local fish) in the farm's canals, and a dip in the river, guests step into the kitchen for daily lessons on Syrian Christian cooking.

The Mathews are one among many in Kerala who've hit on the demand for memorable food experiences on travels.

At Haritha Farms, a seven-day all-inclusive cooking adventure costs $ 900, but the memories are priceless, according to the owner Jacob. Maybe that's why Haritha has seen an increase in the number of 25-30 year olds visiting on a gap-year, and early retirees looking for fulfilling retirement experiences.

Increasingly, inbound travellers are abandoning the safety net offered by their guide books to engage with an unusual side of India... through her foods.

Some are keen to support local businesses "" Haritha farms organises trips to the local pickle factory and chips shop, and needless to add Ayurvedic treatment centres "" or protect the environment by supporting sustainable farming practises.

Others are there simply to enjoy unfamiliar home cooked meals. According to the International Culinary Tourism Association, Culinary Tourism is the hottest niche to emerge within the travel industry in years, reminiscent of the growth of eco-tourism over a decade ago.

In fact several travel operators offer culinary tours as a sub-category under eco-tourism, ranked by the World Tourism Organization as the fastest-growing (5 per cent annually) segment in the global tourism industry.

Delhi-based Ibex Expeditions that started off as an adventure tour company, quickly realised the value in specialised niche tourism.

They offer bespoke culinary tours to any part of the country for foreign tourists, and according to Shalmali Rao, a company representative, the most popular is the organic food trail in Ladakh.

For travel businesses, eco-friendly initiatives offer great marketing advantages. Responsible Travels, an online travel agent, offers a rigorous 15-day India food tour package that includes Delhi, Rajasthan, Goa and Mumbai, and a Kerala homestead retreat.

"Out of our 1,700 assorted holidays, the Kerala cookery holiday is among the top 10 in terms of bookings," says project manager, Katie Fewings.

For some dedicated culinary tour operators like UK-based On the Menu, that offers over 17 tours around the world, it's often about the successful pairing of local cuisine and other local draws.

They operate a cooking school near the beaches of Anjuna in Goa, where customers can grab a tan while learning to cook.

"Our client numbers have risen from 30 in the first year to more than 500 clients last year. Culinary travel in general is in the throes of a boom," says Julie Clark, a company representative.

Culinary Tourism may be off-beat yet, but the government can ill afford to ignore the addition to foreign exchange earnings that these niche operators generate, at an average of £500 per visitor.