ST. GEORGE – Clients booked through JT Wills Travel will now have exclusive access to Food Network travel experiences.

Plans are underway to offer a range of exclusive Food Network travel programs in 2011, including: cruises with Food Network stars and based on Food Network shows; trips tied into specific Food Network culinary trends or topics; Wine and Food Festivals; and weekend getaways to targeted locations such as Napa Valley, Calif.

Culinary-centric travel programs are growing enormously in popularity with “foodies.” Research indicates that 37 percent of leisure travelers find the opportunity to experience different and unusual cuisine on vacation highly desirable (Source: 2008 National Travel Monitor) and 23 percent of affluent travelers consider the ability to learn a new skill or activity on vacation highly desirable.(Source: Portrait of Affluent Travelers). Some 27 million travelers, or 17 percent of American leisure travelers, engaged in culinary or wine-related activities while traveling within the past three years. (Source: Travel Industry Association Survey 2007).

“We are excited about this extraordinary new opportunity with Food Network,” said Julie Williamson of JT Wills Travel. “Our clients have shown a tremendous passion for food and wine, and we now have a great new program to elevate culinary travel to the next level. We look forward to making our clients’ culinary dreams a reality.”

Scheduled Food Network trips will be announced in the coming months. For information on booking travel with JT Wills Travel, contact 435-817-6680 or visit www.jtwillstravelutah.com.