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Travel: “Grocery Tourism: When Supermarkets Become Cultural Hotspotravel:

Why it is the topic trending: Supermarkets as Social Travel Experiences

  • Travel meets everyday culture: Tourists no longer settle for only restaurants and fine dining. They’re heading to supermarkets to experience daily life in a city through food, packaging, and snacks.

  • Social media amplification: TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube haul videos have turned grocery shopping into a must-share activity, with hashtags like #7Eleven racking up millions of views.

  • Shift from niche to mainstream: What once felt quirky (visiting a supermarket abroad) is now mainstream, with brands and tourism boards leveraging it as a strategy to attract and entertain visitors.

  • Global validation: Expedia reports 39% of global travelers visit supermarkets on vacation, and 44% actively seek goods unavailable at home, cementing grocery tourism as a key travel trend.

Overview: Supermarkets as Destinations

Grocery tourism positions itself as a cultural immersion tactic, giving visitors authentic, affordable, and easily shareable insights into local lifestyles. Instead of simply refueling, supermarkets are now designed as experiential spaces blending dining, discovery, and destination retail. From Japan’s 7-Eleven egg sandwiches to Thailand’s Lays Khao Soi chips, the “everyday” is transformed into a traveler’s highlight reel.

Detailed findings: Global Highlights

  • Japan: 7-Eleven’s egg sandwiches, Don Quijote’s novelty aisles, and Lawson’s desserts have become viral icons.

  • South Korea: GS25’s quirky snacks (minari Yakult, Pyongyang cold noodle broth) and CU’s “chicken ice cream” fuel TikTok virality.

  • Thailand: Tops’ curated food halls and Big C’s durian snacks drive massive Chinese tourist footfall.

  • United States: Trader Joe’s and H Mart top TikTok shopping lists, with seasonal sell-outs creating “grocery rushes.”

  • UK: Marks & Spencer’s Percy Pigs and Waitrose’s gourmet pistachio egg double as edible souvenirs.

  • Singapore: Don Don Donki’s cult imports and FairPrice Finest’s late-night dining reframe grocery as entertainment.

Key success factors of product (trend): Why Grocery Tourism Wins

  • Cultural authenticity: Groceries offer an unfiltered view of local taste and habits.

  • Affordability: Entry-level access to “luxury” dining through snacks and packaged foods.

  • Novelty factor: Rare finds, limited editions, or quirky snacks create viral buzz.

  • Convenience: Grocery visits are quick, accessible, and often open late.

  • Social media readiness: Colorful packaging, quirky items, and unique flavors are instantly shareable content.

Key Takeaway: Supermarkets as Stages for Culture

Grocery tourism isn’t just about food—it’s about storytelling. By turning everyday shopping into a cultural experience, supermarkets become stages where local identity, global curiosity, and digital content converge.

Main Trend: Grocery Shopping as Cultural Tourism

What used to be a mundane necessity is now elevated into an experience-rich, share-worthy ritual. Grocery shopping is reframed as cultural exploration, pushing supermarkets into the same league as museums and restaurants for travelers.

Description of the trend: Grocery Tourism

Grocery Tourism: the practice of visiting local supermarkets, marts, and convenience stores while traveling to explore unique foods, packaging, and cultural markers—often documented and amplified on social media.

Key Characteristics of the Core trend: Snackable Culture

  • Viral products: Items like GS25’s minari Yakult or Trader Joe’s seasonal finds dominate TikTok feeds.

  • Hybrid grocery-dining spaces: Supermarkets offer food halls and in-store dining (Tops Food Hall, FairPrice Finest).

  • Souvenir crossover: Groceries double as affordable take-home gifts (Percy Pigs, Lotte jellies).

  • Destination branding: Chains like 7-Eleven and Don Quijote become cultural “must-visits.”

  • Accessibility + curiosity: Accessible price points make “trying culture” easy for everyone.

Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend: From Aisles to Instagram

  • Travel democratization: More affordable, experience-driven travel fuels the hunt for cultural touchpoints.

  • Social content culture: “Haul” videos, snack reviews, and viral finds drive participation.

  • Food as identity: Global travelers define trips by local taste exploration.

  • Retail evolution: Grocers design immersive spaces (lighting, packaging, pop-ups).

  • Tourism board partnerships: Big C’s “Lucky Landing” campaign proves tourism and grocers now collaborate.

What is consumer motivation: Snackable Exploration

  • Taste authentic local culture quickly and cheaply.

  • Capture social media moments through quirky finds.

  • Collect edible souvenirs unavailable back home.

  • Break from traditional tourism by living like locals.

What is motivation beyond the trend: Identity & Belonging

  • Status signaling: Posting niche snacks = global insider status.

  • Community belonging: Joining global “snack haul” culture online.

  • Nostalgia & curiosity: Older travelers relive tastes of youth; younger travelers chase novelty.

  • Storytelling souvenirs: Food brings travel experiences back to everyday life.

Descriptions of consumers: The Snack Tourists

  • Consumer Summary: Snack-curious travelers using supermarkets as cultural windows.

  • Profile:

    • Age: 18–45, digitally native, frequent social media users.

    • Gender: Balanced, with slight female skew in social haul content.

    • Income: Mid to upper-mid tier, travelers who value affordable luxuries.

    • Lifestyle: Experience-driven, social-media integrated, curious explorers.

How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior: Shopping = Sightseeing

  • Tourists add grocery stores to itineraries as “destinations.”

  • Shifts spending from high-end dining to supermarkets + snacks.

  • Encourages spontaneous purchases for social media clout.

  • Builds loyalty to global brands that feel “local.”

Implications of trend Across the Ecosystem: Retail as Culture

  • For Consumers: More meaningful, affordable cultural exploration.

  • For Brands/CPGs: Chance to make viral snacks global exports.

  • For Retailers: Opportunity to design immersive, photogenic grocery experiences.

Strategic Forecast: Grocery Tourism Goes Global

  • Short-term: Chains lean into viral products and snack branding.

  • Mid-term: Supermarkets add more dining spaces + shipping services.

  • Long-term: Grocery tourism packaged into official travel itineraries.

Areas of innovation: Aisles of the Future

  1. Snack Labs: Limited-edition collabs with influencers/brands.

  2. Grocery Dining Hubs: In-store food courts blending retail and tourism.

  3. Shipping + Souvenirs: Express shipping of grocery hauls from flagship stores.

  4. Augmented Reality Hauls: AR guides that recommend “must-try” viral snacks in-store.

  5. Tourism Partnerships: Airlines and hotels bundling grocery experiences into packages.

Summary of Trends

  • Core Consumer Trend: Snackable Exploration—consumers crave affordable, quick bites of culture.

  • Core Social Trend: Shareable Everyday Life—turning mundane into content.

  • Core Strategy: Retail as Entertainment—supermarkets become attractions.

  • Core Industry Trend: Hybrid Grocery Spaces—stores merge dining, culture, and convenience.

  • Core Consumer Motivation: Identity + Belonging—snack shopping validates cultural participation.

Final Thought: From Aisles to Attractions

Grocery tourism transforms everyday shopping into a cultural event. As supermarkets evolve into dining hotspots and viral content stages, they redefine travel itself—making snacks the new souvenirs, and grocery aisles the new sightseeing tours.

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