Press release -
Raising the bar!
A Quality Assurance award scheme, designed to promote the use of Scottish produce, could see the country’s pubs and bars attracting more customers.
The Taste Our Best award, a joint initiative between the Scottish Government and VisitScotland, is being extended to help build stronger links between the places people visit and the food and drink experiences on offer. Henricks Bar & Bistro, who use Scottish produce on their menu, helped launch the extension yesterday. (19 August)
58% of all visitors, and 71% of overseas visitors to Scotland eat in a pub or bar, whilst almost half (49%) of all visitors want to try local food, placing the country’s licensed premises in a perfect position to capitalise on a growing interest in the nation’s natural larder.
Research has shown that visitors are willing to pay up to 15% more for food that is of Scottish or regional origin and businesses that provide local food can typically enjoy higher level sales of up to 20% per year, providing a real financial incentive for tourism businesses to sign up to the accreditation scheme.
In 2015, the Year of Food and Drink, Scotland will celebrate the role that Scottish cuisine plays in shaping the country’s economic success. Food and drink is an integral part of the tourism experience and the industry is worth £13bn a year. The target is to grow this to £16.5bn by 2017.
Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Food Richard Lochhead said:
“Scotland produces some of the best food and drink to be found anywhere in the world and it is fantastic that the Taste our Best scheme - which celebrates and promotes our outstanding natural larder - is being rolled out to pubs and bars. With visitors willing to pay a premium for fresh, local produce, Scotland’s top quality food and drink is clearly a unique selling point and amazing opportunity for businesses across the country.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“A stop in a pub or bar is a must for many visitors to Scotland, so these establishments can play a crucial role in helping create an appetite for Scotland’s natural produce. We know that visitors enjoy authentic, quality Scottish food and drink, with many willing to pay up to 15% more for food that they know is of Scottish origin. By sourcing and promoting local produce, businesses have a real opportunity to boost both their finances and their reputation.”
Colin Wilkinson, Scottish Licensed Trade Association Secretary said:
“Figures show that Scotland’s pubs and bars are a major tourist attraction for both domestic and foreign visitors and they have an important role to play in promoting, not only their own unique character and warmth of welcome, but also everything that is “Scottish-ness”, from our culture to our natural larder. With visitor interest increasing for Scottish produce to be on the menu and the opportunity for pubs and bars to reap the benefits of providing Scottish premium products, the “Taste our Best” award scheme is the ideal platform to promote what Scotland’s Food and Drink has to offer.”
The Taste Our Best award scheme is the latest addition to VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance (QA) Schemes, which aim to drive up quality in tourism products across the country. Taste Our Best provides businesses with an assessment of the overall quality of the visitor experience and the use of Scottish produce on their menu by qualified advisors, with those meeting the necessary criteria gaining the award.
For more information, visit: www.visitscotland.org/business_support/quality_assurance/restaurants/taste_our_best.aspx
ENDS
For further information contact:
Louise Purves
Corporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2052
Louise.purves@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- 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.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry 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.
- 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
- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
