Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Jasper Food Tours has been recognized as a Viator Experience Award winner for Top 10 Food Tours / Experiences in Canada based on exceptional ratings and reviews.
Despite the challenging few years for tourism, Jasper’s only culinary tour company stood out to travellers for a host of reasons, such as the tour’s main guide, Hilary, and the food itself.
“Each of the places that we go to is very unique to Jasper,” said Estelle Blanchette, founder of Jasper Food Tours.
“Often people are surprised by the diversity and the quality of great food that we have in town.”
Jasper Food Tours offers a Downtown Foodie Tour, a two-kilometre guided walking tour.
Guests will visit four local restaurants and taste four handpicked dishes, each paired with an alcoholic beverage, while listening to Jasper’s top tales along the way.
In addition, Jasper Food Tours recently launched Bites on E-Bikes Tour, a 25-kilometre guided e-bike tour of the scenic back roads of Jasper National Park that includes stops at some of the most delectable restaurants tucked away in the wilderness.
Blanchette said Bites on E-Bikes had a soft launch last year, and they bought their own fleet of bikes this year.
“It gets you out of town and gets you riding. There’s a huge demand just for e-bike tours altogether. Often, I hear that people do an e-bike tour everywhere they go.”
These tours offer a chance for guests to enjoy the history, the stories, the pairings and being able to meet like-minded people.
“People are really wanting meaningful experiences now today, especially after COVID,” Blanchette said.
“They crave meeting people and sharing stories and being social again, and I think that’s also part of the reason why it’s so popular.”
The reviews on Viator for Downtown Foodie Tour speak for themselves:
“Hilary did a fabulous job sharing the history and sense of community in Jasper. The food was fantastic – both in quality and quantity. No need for dinner after the tour!”“The beverage and food pairings were delicious. Estelle is so passionate and knowledgeable. It was a very enjoyable experience for all of us.”
“Host Hilary did excellent job in all areas of the tour food and drink pairing was very good. Walking tour and history of Jasper was very interesting part as well.”
Viator is the world’s largest travel experiences marketplace with more than 300,000 bookable tours, activities and excursions.
Final rankings for the Viator Experience Awards – now in its second year – are based on average review ratings, share of bookings with a review and number of bookings on the Viator platform in 2022.
“No matter where you're from or where you're going, one thing is clear–the hunger for unforgettable travel experiences has never been greater,” said Adam Lawless, communications director with Viator, in a statement.
“What you do and see while traveling tends to leave a lasting mark. We’re thrilled to have this award program spotlight truly exceptional tours, activities, and excursions from around the world that elevate your travel experience – creating memories you won’t soon forget.”
This round of awards recognized 200 experiences, tours and activities across four geographic regions – ranking the top 10 winners per region in five special interest categories: Food Tours, Beverage Tours, Water Adventures, Adrenaline-rush Experience and Rising Stars.
Blanchette encouraged anyone who enjoyed the tour to leave a review on Viator, as this practice generally helps spread the word for small businesses.
“There’s a lot of people that look at those reviews, and there’s a lot of people that book because of the amount of good reviews that we are getting,” she said.
“It’s not uncommon to hear people saying, ‘I wasn’t sure if I was going to do this tour, but then I read the reviews and that sold me that I really wanted to come and do it.’”
She also offered a shoutout to Jasper’s culinary community, her popular guide, Hilary, and the restaurants that supported them from the beginning.
To see traveler reviews and to book an excursion with Jasper Food Tours, visit https://jasperfoodtours.com/
