When it came time for their latest reunion, the Taiwanese octogenarians, now settled in the United States, were looking for one thing: Authentic Chinese food to help connect them to home.
The search brought them to Gwinnett County, where they ate dim sum at East Pearl and meals at Golden House, next to their Duluth hotel.
“They came just because of the authentic Chinese cuisine,” said Anne Chen, sales manager at Explore Gwinnett, the county’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
More and more, food and culture are driving tourism — and nowhere is that more true than in Gwinnett, one of the most diverse counties in the Southeast.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau is capitalizing on the diversity, and this year hired Chen to help bring more international groups to the county. The wins so far have included the Korean American Southeastern Summer Olympics and the Yong-In Presidential Cup Tae Kwon Do competition.
As important as language is — Chen speaks Mandarin, and the Bureau hired a part-time employee who is fluent in Korean — it’s the knowledge of different cultures that has really helped increase the number of events. In China, for example, people mostly travel with tour groups. So Explore Gwinnett has reached out to Chinese tour operators to make sure the county is on the map.
Having slippers in hotel rooms, dumplings on the breakfast buffet and gifts in the room can help make international travelers feel welcome and encourage them to return, said Lisa Anders, Explore Gwinnett’s executive director.
“We have a more authentic experience than anyone else,” she said. “Food is playing into the meetings and events and everything.”
Explore Gwinnett plans to take hoteliers on a food tour of some of the area’s ethnic restaurants so they are better equipped to give recommendations when people ask for places to eat. Already, having a worker who is fluent in Korean has meant more Korean restaurants have signed on to Gwinnett’s restaurant week.
Access to specialty grocery stores is also a draw for some groups.
“It’s a big focus,” Anders said. “We have a person and a half dedicated to this.”
Hispanic groups also have strong turnout, but Anders said she decided to focus on Asian groups specifically because there is a huge opportunity for growth.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, it’s a huge sell for us,” Chen said. “We want more of it all.”
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