Press release -
A taste of things to come
A cake-themed celebration of our Capital city, a festival to inspire junior foodies and a gala which raises a glass to our national tipple, are just some of the mouth-watering events that will form the Year of Food and Drink, it was announced today (22January).
Scotland’s outstanding natural larder will be showcased over the next 12 months at events the length and breadth of the country, including special events supported through a dedicated £265,000 fund aimed at raising awareness of the role food and drink plays in the country’s cultural identity and in shaping the nation’s economic success.
Funded events will be spread across the country and include existing or established events such as Borders Book Festival (11-14 June), the Orkney Folk Festival (21-24 May) and the Glasgow Science Festival (4-14 June) - with a greater food focus.
There will also be a number of new events designed to inspire and engage diverse audiences with Scottish produce, including Cake Fest Edinburgh (21 June) at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Whisky Month will also return in May, with events like Mhor Whisky Festival (23-24 May) and Whisky Stramash (23-25 May) inviting visitors and locals to sample Scotland’s national drink as well as explore both the traditional and contemporary blend of stories, circumstances, provenance and science behind our vast array of marvelous malts.
Led by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the Year of Food and Drink aims to increase and promote Scottish produce across the tourism sector and enhance Scotland’s global reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.
The Year of Food and Drink event fund is administered by the national tourism organisation’s event directorate, EventScotland. The Community Food Fund, which is managed by Think Local on behalf of the Scottish Government, has contributed £150K towards the overall £265,000 fund for 2015
With eating traditional dishes and local produce listed as one of the top activities undertaken by visitors to Scotland, promoting food and drink has the potential to provide significant growth for tourism. Recent figures revealed that Scotland’s food and drink tourism industry is worth an estimated £2.5 million per day to the economy.
Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Food Richard Lochhead said:
“The Year of Food and Drink is a brilliant opportunity to build on Homecoming 2014, and inspire the people of Scotland and our visitors to celebrate the exceptional food and drink we produce the length and breadth of our country. The programme unveiled today will offer a unique taste of Scotland, and am I am delighted that all funded events are being encouraged to increase their use of locally sourced produce by signing up to the Food Charter. This will help to enhance our reputation as a land of food and drink and achieve my vision of Scotland becoming a Good Food Nation.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“Scotland’s reputation for quality food and drink is increasing and the Year of Food and Drink is a chance not just for visitors to sample the best of our natural larder but for people in Scotland to learn more about what is on our doorstep.
“The events unveiled today are just a taste of what the Year of Food and Drink can offer visitors from far and wide. 2014 was all about welcoming the world, 2015 is an opportunity to build on that momentum and use strengths, like our world-famous food and drink, to take Scotland to the world.”
Ian Edwards, Head of Events and Exhibitions at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, who will host two funded events added:
“We are delighted to be part of the Year of Food and Drink with events throughout the year. Highlights include our Botanics Late adults-only evening The Still & the Hive in May and the Cake Fest Edinburgh in June. The Edible Gardening Project will also be encouraging people to grow their own food during the Spring and Harvest Festival events.”
All funded events will now go through a workshop organised by EventScotland to help develop their Scottish and local food and drink offering and enhance the visitor experience. A further series of special events for July to December 2015 supported through the dedicated £265,000 events fund will be revealed in the coming months.
For a full list of events visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- year of food and drink
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/foodanddrink
