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Date Published: 08/05/2023

Vegan and veggie tourism is booming in Alicante

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Restaurants, cafes and hotels in Alicante are offering more and more non-meat dishes in response to demand

Vegan and veggie tourism is booming in Alicante

Far from being a fringe diet these days, veganism has emerged as a gastronomic tool to attract non-meat or dairy eating tourists.

And in response to the booming niche market and growing customer demand, restaurants and other eateries in Alicante have signed up for a new course specialising in recipes to satisfy the requirements of veggies and vegans.

Long gone are days when the likes of tofu, quinoa, chia and soya raised questionable eyes, and these foods are now far more likely to appear on more diverse menus.

Eating products that do not come from animals is a lifestyle choice that is becoming more and more widespread and non-meat eaters are far more inclined to opt for establishments where they can confidently select 'green' alternatives while on holiday.

And Alicante city's businesses are embracing this 'movement', capitalising on the niche market as a way to boost tourism.

According to an industry study earlier this year, 0.8% of the Spanish population is vegan, 0.3% more than in 2019. And the most common profile is between 18 and 34 years old.

"Vegan cuisine is booming", assures Álex Fratini, businessman and a member of the Benidorm Association of Restaurants, Bars, Cafeterias and Nightlife (Abreca).

"More and more people are looking for it on menus and establishments are trying to ensure they have several options on offer. In large groups there is almost always someone who is vegan or vegetarian and having an option on the menu makes the group stay rather than go elsewhere.

"It's easier for those who eat meat to fit in with someone who doesn't as opposed to the other way around, he added.

Also read: Alicante becomes the 10th most populated city in Spain

Data provided by Abreca shows that in 10% of member establishments, customers regularly order vegan food.

Management at Touché, a restaurant in the centre of the city, said more and more people are asking for vegan dishes: "There is always someone in a group who requests this type of food. It's associated with being healthier and we introduced dishes after a refurbishment made during the pandemic.

And the general secretary of the hotel employers' association Hosbec, Nuria Montes, assured that hotels are following suit.

"It is starting to become commonplace to have a section of hotel buffets dedicated to vegan or vegetarian food, an increasing number of clients are looking for it, especially athletes and people who take care of their diet while on holiday. Among them are many foreigners who visit Benidorm," she said,

"It is a new market trend that must be taken into account."

In the face of "the veggie-style boom", chefs must also keep up. Abreca was one of a number of organisations within the sector that asked Benidorm's Centro de Turisme (CdT) to offer a specialised cuisine course that starts on Monday May 8.

Director of the Benidorm CdT, Francisco Juan Martínez, confirmed that "this is the first time that a specific course has been held in this sense", although there have been others dedicated to cooking for coeliacs, for example.

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