The chef pouring special sauce on pork ribs in the kitchen

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Culinary travel is not a new concept, but the data describing it is getting sharper. The 2026 American Express Global Travel Trends report found that 89% of Millennials and Gen Z say it’s important to leave room in their itinerary for local food, and two-thirds say they’re seeking out items they can’t get at home. The report gives the behavior a new name: snackpacking. Last week, the Michelin Guide landed in the same territory when it announced its American Great Lakes edition, naming Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh as its newest expansion cities, with an inaugural restaurant selection set for 2027.

The announcement is part of Michelin’s active push across the U.S., which has added more regions in the past four years than in the preceding 17 years of the Guide’s North American presence. What connects both developments is the same thing every tourism leader described at the press conference in Milwaukee: taste of place.

"Milwaukee has always been a city that shows up at the table with confidence, creativity and a point of view all its own," said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee. "Their craft, care and unmistakable Milwaukee spirit create experiences you can't find anywhere else, and we're ready for the world to discover it."

Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit, pointed to Greektown, Mexicantown, and Dearborn's Middle Eastern food scene as the drivers of a culinary identity "built on authenticity, diversity, and affordability." The city's food culture has been earning national attention long before Michelin's arrival.

Melvin Tennant, president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis, walked through a food culture shaped by Indigenous excellence, Midwestern seasonality, and Somali, Hmong, Latino, and Southern Asian influences, describing a community "propelled by deep cultural pride and purpose."

Emily Lauer, vice president of PR and communications at Destination Cleveland, described a "layered, multicultural food city" where visitors "come for a weekend and end up talking about their meals for months."

Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide, named the pattern directly at the press conference. "More than ever, food is maybe the first criteria pushing people to travel, and the reason they are actually choosing their destination," he said, adding that the pull is especially strong among younger consumers.

The scale is already visible in the cities themselves. Indianapolis alone reports $1.7 billion in annual food and beverage visitor spending as the single largest driver of tourism, according to Morgan Snyder, vice president of communications and community relations for Visit Indy, and 60% of global respondents to the AmEx survey purchased food items specific to their destination, with 45% citing support of local businesses as a key reason.

What pulls travelers to these cities isn’t the promise of stars but the taste of a place — the food that exists because of where it comes from, who makes it, and the communities that shaped it. The six cities preparing for Michelin’s inspectors have been building those food cultures for generations, long before the Michelin expansion reached them.