Foodie heaven: Spain voted into world’s top five food destinations

SPAIN has been voted into the world’s top five ‘foodie’ destinations for travellers.

A worldwide survey of 27,000 travellers, conducted by Hotels.com, found eating is a big drive for holidaymakers when planning and booking holidays.

And the popularity of paella and tapas helped Spain clinch 11% of the votes.

Italy meanwhile took the gold medal for the world’s best holiday food with 32% of respondents ranking pizza, pasta and gelato their numero uno.

France, famous for its pastries, baguettes and Michelin-starred restaurants, came in second with 24%, while Japan came in third with 18% for its sashimi, sushi and tempura.

Mainland China ranked fourth in the survey, followed by Spain.

The US, Mexico, Thailand, Taiwan and India make up the rest of the top ten.

“Sampling the local cuisine when travelling can be such a rewarding experience and it’s no wonder it plays such a big part in the decision-making process for travellers,” said Hotels.com spokeswoman Katherine Birch.

“Asking friends and family or joining social media networks for passionate travellers are great ways to find out the best local treats to try and where.”