Travel Industry's Only Certified Culinary Tourism Professional Program Launches

    PORTLAND, OR, February 11, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In times like today when businesses have to fight hard for every customer, culinary businesses and destinations need every bit of help to survive. An extra edge like certification in the industry's fastest growing niche - culinary tourism - can be a major asset. Today the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA) introduced its Certified Culinary Tourism Professional (CCTP) program for hospitality, tourism and foodservice professionals. Budget conscious consumers need to feel comfortable today about any money they spend. The ICTA's Certified Culinary Tourism Professional program is comprehensive and gives a high level of credibility to the sales and marketing efforts of businesses and destinations.

The certification process is straight-forward and consists of online training and in-depth research, with a final research paper. Online training is "on demand", so busy professionals can study at any time. Training includes a variety of examples from different cultures and is relevant to culinary tourism professionals all over the world. At the conclusion of the certification program, students will have learned about the culinary tourism industry, culinary traveler demographics and psychographics, and will have become experts on a specific culinary tourism industry business type and geographic area.

The 5 online modules include:

• MODULE 1: Introduction to Culinary Tourism
Introduces the essentials of the culinary tourism industry including: its history, definitions, examples, demographics and psychographics of culinary travelers, economic impact assessments, and more.

• MODULE 2: Brief History of Food and Tourism
Discusses how people came to place high value on food and how cuisine evolved from our less glamorous history as hunters and gatherers. Teaches the difference between food, agriculture, and cuisine, and how to identify key culinary traveler needs.

• MODULE 3: Identifying & Working with Your Culinary Tourism Network
Helps professionals to be more competitive in culinary tourism sales and marketing and how to grow their business by collaborating rather than competing.

• MODULE 4: Creating Your Culinary Tourism Specialization
Students learn about the 14 segments of the culinary tourism industry and identify which one is of greatest interest. Students also choose a geographic specialization.

• MODULE 5: Your Specialized Culinary Tourism Study Program
In the final segment, professionals work with their faculty advisor and write their own research paper, focusing on the segment and geography they chose in Module 4.

"We understand the busy lives of today's tourism professionals and are pleased to offer passionate hospitality professionals around the world a unique way to become experts in the industry's first culinary tourism certification," says Casey Canaveri, the program's Training Manager. Casey holds a B.A. degree in Travel & Tourism Management from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, USA. Previously he served as the Senior Vacation Planner and later Project Coordinator for the Ventures Equity Vacation Club.

There are many kinds of tourism industry certification programs, but none focus exclusively on culinary tourism. The CCTP program was created in response to requests from the Association's members and other culinary and travel professionals, to fill a learning gap in the foodservice and travel industries. The CCTP program is in-depth and highly professional and adds a tangible value to culinary businesses and destinations.

The certification program costs US$1295 (Association members save an additional US$100). Student enrolling before March 15, 2009 will receive an additional US$300 early bird discount.

For more information and to register for CCTP designation, please visit http://www.culinarytourism.org/?page=cctp_pre

About International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA)

The International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA) is the world's leading authority on culinary tourism. The Association and its affiliated businesses provide community, networking, education, research, development consulting, and promotion support for culinary businesses and destinations around the world. For more information about the International Culinary Tourism Association and its affiliated businesses, please visit http://www.culinarytourism.org

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