Hungry for Travel
Booking.com’s latest Taste of Home Asia Pacific research reveals how food is the heart of Kiwi travel.
Forget souvenirs! Kiwi travellers are collecting flavour. A new Taste of Home Asia Pacific study from Booking.com shows that food has transformed from a holiday add-on to the main reason people pack their bags, and at the centre sits holiday homes.
Research found that 97% of Kiwi travellers change the way they cook and eat while away, embracing everything from local markets to experimental recipes with many trying new appliances and local dishes in their holiday home kitchens. Many cite flexibility, privacy, and kitchen access (50%!) as key reasons for choosing a holiday home – with nearly three-quarters admitting they’ve picked a destination purely for its restaurants and/or food scene.
“Food is the centrepiece of holiday home travel,” says Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director of Asia Pacific at Booking.com. “For Kiwi travellers, memories created around the dining table are just as important as the journey itself.”
Holiday homes have become the go-to base for food-focused getaways. Kiwi travellers want to shop like locals, with 84% visiting food markets or supermarkets on holiday – a growing trend dubbed “trolley tourism”. Even while exploring new tastes, Kiwis love familiar flavours. 83% pack food or cooking items from home, with tea, coffee, wine, chocolate, tomato sauce and even Pineapple Lumps, Vogel’s and Onion Dip making the list.
The study also reveals a new generation of home cooks stepping up on holiday. Millennials and Gen Z are most likely to take charge in the kitchen – blending family recipes with newfound inspiration from their travels.
From a beachside barbecue to a city apartment dinner, Kiwis are finding that the best way to experience a destination is through its kitchen, with a little home comfort thrown into the mix.
Conducted by YouGov in July 2025, the Taste of Home Asia Pacific study surveyed more than 8,000 travellers across the region, including 1,007 New Zealanders aged 18 and over.
Learn more about Booking.com’s Taste of Home Asia Pacific research here
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latest issue:
Issue 128
This winter issue of dish is about comfort and connection. Celebrating the best of New Zealand and Australian produce, it brings together recipes from some of our most-loved chefs, including Moroccan Chicken Soup, Mint-glazed Roasted Leg of Lamb, Slow Cooker Braised Red Wine and Mustard Beef and Miso White Chocolate Cheesecake. Find plenty to carry you through the colder months, from flaky sausage rolls and mushroom pie, to soul-soothing pasta, nostalgic baking, weekend market inspiration and dinner party menus. There’s a spotlight on the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, recipes from Caroline Griffiths’ Midnight Spaghetti, and a deep dive into the difference between Kiwi syrah and Aussie shiraz.