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Singaporeans are serial travellers and serious foodies, perpetually seeking out our next vacation or favourite dining destination. Put those two together, and it's no surprise that we rank among the world's top countries that foodie travellers hail from. According to Trip.com's Why Travel? Report in August 2025, Google searches for "food travel" and "Michelin guide" jumped 18 percent and 22 percent respectively, while food-related bookings on the site rose by 43 percent.
Later in December 2025, Trip.com also released more insights from its Trip.Best Southeast Asia Travel Trends Unpacked event, where it shared that 70 percent of Singaporean travellers rank "Local Food & Dining Experiences" among their top three factors when choosing a travel destination. Food isn't just a side quest on holidays anymore – for many, it's the main event.
And among cities known for food, the site highlights five in particular that foodies should be keeping an eye on. First up is Chengdu, China, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Chinese cities have been enjoying a renaissance lately, with Trip.com reporting a 315 percent growth for Chengdu on the website's Trip.Best Global Rankings. A YouGov study in December 2025 also identified China as an increasingly popular value-for-money holiday destination.
Within East Asia, other foodie destinations include Jeju Island, South Korea, for its bountiful seafood spreads and black pork barbecue, and Fukuoka, Japan, for its atmospheric Yatai stalls and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Closer to home, Singaporean foodies who've already explored Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi should also give Da Nang, Vietnam, a chance, for its diverse food scene spanning grilled seafood and trendy cafés. And while Penang is great, Ipoh, Malaysia shouldn't be off your radar either. This town is the best place to gobble up hor fun, beansprout chicken and the like, at ridiculously reasonable prices.
So if you're a food-motivated traveller in Singapore, look beyond the usual suspects like Bangkok, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur this year, and turn your eyes to these other cities instead.
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