21-05-2025
Airbnb just named this surprising NY town one of the world's best food destinations
Summer's slowly setting in, which means it's about time for New Yorkers to plan exactly how they will escape the humid hustle and bustle of the city for the Hamptons, Fire Island, the Hudson Valley and other parts of greater New York State. And good news if you're planning on heading up to the Catskills this season: Airbnb just cited Oneonta, New York as of the country's leading food destinations for summer 2025.
In a recently released report, the home rental website dug deep on 2025 summer travel trends and discovered some interesting tidbits along the way Travelers are reportedly "avoiding the summer crowds and swapping culinary capitals for more local, affordable foodie destinations," per the study (based on Airbnb internal data of trending searches travelers made in Q1 – Q4 2024 for summer 2025 compared with searches made in Q1-Q4 2023 for summer 2024).
Oneonta's boost as a top-rate food town seems to be part of that trend: the "hidden gem in the Catskills" is home to "a variety of breweries alongside a diverse array of dining options, with a focus on farm-to-table ingredients," reads the report. (For the record, we're partial to Dazzo's Kitchen for great wood-fired grub and Council Rock Brewery in nearby Cooperstown for solid local suds.)
And the New York locale is in good company—Airbnb also singled out Arakawa City, Japan, as "a quieter alternative to bustling Shibuya"; Shillong, India, "for its unique local delicacies and traditional Khasi cuisine"; Alassio, Italy, "a similar coastal retreat to Positano, with a vibrant culinary scene centered around its fresh local seafood"; and Belo Horizonte, Brazil, famous for its flavorful Minas Gerais dishes, like the beloved pão de dueijo (cheese bread). Airbnb cited a recent consumer poll conducted by Panterra that revealed that nearly half (47-percent) of travelers are prioritizing authentic local cuisine during their travels, so the focus on destinations with unique food-and-drink experiences makes sense.
