TikTok Turns the Grocery Store Into a Vacation Destination

As consumers increasingly turn to TikTok for travel inspiration, a viral trend, grocery store tourism, has many seeing the supermarket as a cultural destination.

Many social media users attribute the start of the trend to TikTok user @marissainchina , who posted a video in late spring asserting, “This may be controversial, but I think the best thing to do while traveling is go to the grocery store. … Going to a grocery store could technically be counted as sightseeing, right? Because not only is it a cultural experience, but you can also find lots of stuff to bring back as souvenirs.”

The video has over 422,000 views, and the trend has taken off. A TikTok posted in June from user @caroluzitus celebrating “traveling with people who view grocery stores abroad as a cultural experience ” has surpassed 3 million views. Similarly, a video from around the same time captioned “POV: You travel with someone whose international trip is not complete without the cultural experience of going to a grocery store” has garnered nearly 2 million.

Additional viral videos posted in recent months have celebrated grocery stores in Greece , Thailand , Iceland , Turkey and even Cincinnati , among others, as tourism destinations.

As grocery stores around the world increasingly become cultural hubs, the rise of grocery store tourism reflects a larger shift in how travelers seek meaningful experiences. No longer confined to sightseeing at historical landmarks or iconic attractions, many are embracing the everyday aspects of life in a new destination.

The growth of grocery store tourism comes as consumers tap social media to get inspiration about what products and experiences to splurge on. The 2023 PYMNTS Intelligence report “ Tracking the Digital Payments Takeover: Monetizing Social Media ” found that 43% of consumers browse social media to find goods and services. Plus, that share rose to roughly two-thirds for Generation Z and millennial consumers.

Moreover, influencers — such as viral TikTokers — are playing a growing role in guiding how people spend their money. The PYMNTS Intelligence special report “ Generation Zillennial: How They Shop ” found that Gen Z consumers are 117% likelier than the population overall to say they have made a purchase in the previous month at least partially because of a social media influencer or celebrity.

When people travel, they are more willing to splurge on food than they are in their day-to-day lives. The “ Tracking the Impact of Digital Tools on Food Tourism and Travel Preferences ” edition of the PYMNTS Intelligence Connected Dining series of reports revealed that food quality is the factor consumers prioritize most when deciding where to eat on vacation, while only a small share consider deals and affordability.

Many grocery stores, for their part, are trying to position themselves as destinations. Take, for instance, Augusta, Georgia’s 42,000-square-foot FreshTake supermarket, set to include a five-hole golf green as well as an on-site café, bar, barbecue smokehouse and firepit. Originally slated to open over the summer, WRDW reported Monday (Sept. 2) that the timeline has been delayed. Then there is Eataly , a multinational chain of Italian-inspired food and wine marketplaces, as well as New York’s Brooklyn Fare supermarket, which includes three-Michelin-star restaurant Chef’s Table , to name a few.