New research from SixStarCruises reveals that nearly three-quarters (74%) of luxury travellers named fine dining and speciality restaurants as their inspiration for booking a once-in-a-lifetime cruise holiday.
The luxury cruise specialists analysed the world’s leading culinary destinations and surveyed holidaymakers to create The Global Fine Dining Capitals of the Sea, exploring onboard dining preferences, food tourism trends and Michelin-recognised destinations worldwide.
The results found that food-led travel motivations are clearly shaping destination demand. When asked which regions they most want to explore for cuisine, respondents ranked the Mediterranean first (43%), followed by Southeast Asia (29%) and South America (9%).
When asked what makes dining memorable on a luxury cruise, almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) listed food quality and flavour as the most crucial factor, while more than half (56%) also listed personalised, attentive service as second, reinforcing expectations that luxury cruising should rival the world’s best restaurants.
These expectations were also reflected in passengers’ favourite onboard dishes, which included miso sea bass, lobster, lobster tempura and fillet mignon.
SixStarCruises’ index highlights Paris, Barcelona and Rome as the world’s leading culinary cities for cruise travellers.
Paris ranked top, home to more than 520 Michelin-recognised restaurants, while Barcelona leads the Mediterranean food scene, with 117 Michelin-starred restaurants and a 69% year-on-year increase in food tourism searches on Google Trends. Rome was noted as a destination for travellers seeking authenticity, with events such as the Sagra della Porchetta di Ariccia and the Chianti Wine Festival, along with 82 Michelin restaurants.
Beyond established culinary capitals, searches for food tourism increased year-on-year in other destinations such as Athens (+9%), Lisbon (+6%) and Venice (+5%), driven by evolving dining scenes and experience-led travel.
The most dramatic growth in global food tourism was found to be emerging in the Caribbean. Searches for food tourism increased year-on-year in destinations such as Anguilla (+4,400%), Barbados (+3,300%), Grenada (+3,000%), Grand Cayman (+2,400%) and Martinique (+1,700%).
Talking about the findings, Lisa McAuley, Managing Director at SixStarCruises, said: “Today’s travellers are no longer choosing cruises solely for destinations or itineraries, but for the quality of the experience on board, and cuisine sits right at the centre of that. Luxury cruise lines are redefining what it means to dine at sea. It’s this seamless blend of destination-driven flavour, creativity and consistency that now sets true luxury cruising apart.”
The full index can be found here.
Top 10 Ranked Luxury Cruise Restaurants & Standout Onboard Dining Experiences
| Restaurant | Cruise Line |
| Compass Rose | Regent Seven Seas |
| Prime 7 | Regent Seven Seas |
| Red Ginger | Oceania |
| Pacific Rim | Regent Seven Seas |
| Prime C | Azamara |
| Polo Grill | Oceania |
| S.A.L.T | Silversea |
| Jacques | Oceania |
| La Dame | Silversea |
| Sois | Seabourn |
