‘Spice Things Up’ on Your Next Vacation

From the exotic herbs markets in Ankara, Turkey, to the Khari Baoli spice market in Delhi, from the lavender fleur de lys trails in France to the saffron routes in Kashmir, travellers are no longer returning home with fridge magnets alone. Tourists are ditching the usual tourist traps and instead ‘spicing things up’ in their lives.

Increasingly, tourists are flocking to local spice markets and packing local masalas, artisanal salts, herbs, and spices that encapsulate the local flavours and cuisine of the places they visit. Top picks include rock salt, fresh chilli powders, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, asafoetida, vanilla pods, and lavender oil, among others.

The world travellers’ appetite for exotic spices is truly insatiable.

Souvenir Shift

Markets once meant for locals are now global attractions. Tourism is undergoing a quiet but aromatic transformation. Across continents, travellers are buying local spices and herbs as edible souvenir items that carry memory, culture and wellness in equal measure. In India, Kerala and Goa are star attractions. “Kerala is also known as the ‘Spice Capital’ because of the abundance of cardamom, pepper, and clove gardens. Goa’s tropical spice plantation (cinnamon, chillies,” says Sheetal Dev, a Pune-based travel consultant. “Tourists go to Madagascar and pick up vanilla pods from local markets. When in the Provence region, France, they pack some lavender oil for wellness and local herbs for soups and broths.”

Unlike mass-produced keepsakes, spices feel authentic. They are affordable, portable, and deeply rooted in place. A pouch of turmeric or vanilla beans offers something a postcard never can: taste.

The Healing Appeal

The renewed interest is also driven by wellness. Organic spices and herbs, such as turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, saffron, lavender, are increasingly associated with healing, immunity and mental calm. Post-pandemic travellers, especially, are seeking experiences that promise balance and nourishment.

Food historian Dr. Arvind Mishra explains, “Spices were medicine before they were flavour. What we’re seeing is a return to ancient knowledge. Travelers want ingredients with purpose, not just novelty.” Markets today highlight provenance and purity. Sellers speak of soil, climate, and harvest cycles. The experience feels intimate, almost therapeutic. “Buying spices feels like buying health in its rawest form,” says a tourist from Germany, who is holidaying in Delhi.

Spice Market Trails

Some destinations are actively curating spice-led tourism. In Delhi, guided walks through Khari Baoli now include tastings, history lessons and cooking tips. In Turkey, Ankara’s markets blend spices with teas and dried fruits, encouraging slow browsing and conversation.

In southern France, lavender stalls often mistaken as mere souvenirs are now positioned as wellness products, used for sleep, stress relief and skincare. Meanwhile, in Madagascar, vanilla stalls attract culinary tourists eager to understand why the island produces some of the world’s most prized beans.

SPICY HOTSPOTS

• Khari Baoli, Delhi – Asia’s largest spice market

• Ankara – Anatolian spices & herbal teas

• Provence, France – Lavender & herbs

• Madagascar – Bourbon vanilla

Culinary Expertspeak

For chefs, this shift is deeply personal. Many now travel with spices in mind, treating markets as classrooms. Mumbai-based chef Esha Kripal says, “When I buy spices locally, I understand restraint. These flavours are powerful. You don’t overpower food, you respect it.”

She notes that diners increasingly ask about ingredients where they’re sourced, how they’re used traditionally. That curiosity, she believes, is changing restaurant menus back home. “Spice tourism is making people better cooks, not just better travellers.”

Cultural Memory

Spices also carry stories of trade, colonisation and migration. For food historians, these markets are living archives.

A stroll through Khari Baoli reveals centuries of culinary exchange: Persian saffron beside Indonesian nutmeg, African cloves next to Indian cardamom. Historian Marie Louise, who studies on European herb markets, says, “Spice markets are cultural crossroads. They tell us who travelled, who traded, and who cooked for whom.”

Tourists are drawn to that layered history, often discovering uncomfortable truths alongside beautiful aromas.

Sustainable Choice

Unlike souvenirs that gather dust, spices get used. This practicality makes them appealing to environmentally conscious travellers. Buying local spices supports small traders, reduces mass manufacturing and creates a low-waste souvenir economy.

Spice Of Life

• Lightweight & travel-friendly

• Deeply local

• Health-linked

• Sustainable

• Emotionally memorable

The Road Ahead

As global travel becomes more experience-driven, spice tourism is likely to grow. Markets may soon offer curated kits, storytelling sessions, and spice-to-table workshops. What began

as shopping is evolving into cultural immersion.

In a world of excess, spices slow us down. Their aromas carry traces of

distant lands, old rituals, and the simple act of turning food into something meaningful.