Press release -
Scotland’s food and drink tops global list
Outside, one of America’s leading active lifestyle magazines, has selected Scotland in its annual Best of Travel awards as the best place to eat and drink in the world.
The only destination in the UK to make the American magazine’s ‘30 most incredible trips to take in 2015’, Scotland was named the best place to eat and drink for its “miles of coastline”, “abundant mushroom and strawberry harvests” and “massive beef industry”.
The award comes during Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, a 12-month celebration of the country’s natural larder and authentic dining experiences. The year is being supported by a wide range of marketing activity and a packed programme of food-focused events.
From newly-revealed travel territories to the best deals, Outside’s Best of Travel 2015 celebrates the destinations and travel providers that inspire people to participate in an active lifestyle.
Food is an integral part of the tourism experience and sampling traditional dishes and local produce is among the top activities undertaken by visitors to Scotland. Outside magazine references creative menus found across Scotland, including the experience of visiting the Three Chimneys on Skye and taking in a distillery tour.
VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay said:
“When you consider the number of other countries renowned for their culinary offering, you realise how highly Scotland’s wonderful food and drink is regarded throughout the world.
“Scotland’s reputation for quality food and drink is growing, with exports at a record high. From Stornoway Black Pudding to our national drink whisky, promoting Scotland’s food and drink to the world is a recipe for success which has a real potential to provide significant growth for tourism.”
Shirley Spear, Founder/Director at The Three Chimneys said:
“This is an amazing accolade for the whole of Scotland’s food and drink industry, all of our Scottish Chefs and all of the excellent destination restaurants we are so proud of throughout the country. To be acknowledged in such a prestigious way by Outside magazine just goes to show how far we have all improved in the past few years. Naturally, I am delighted to see The Three Chimneys hand-picked as one of the places to experience the best. After 30 years promoting Scotland’s fantastic natural larder, I could not be happier that our team in Skye has been given this very special mention and that Scotland has been highlighted as a world-class foodie destination.”
In 2013, CNN named Scotland as its No.1 destination for visitors. It was also declared as the third best country in the world to visit in 2014 ahead of the likes of the Seychelles, Mexico and Malaysia by Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2014. In 2014, Lewis and Harris were named in the top 5 islands in the world by TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Islands awards and National Geographic Traveler, the world’s biggest travel magazine named a guided holiday of the Outer Hebrides as one of its “50 Tours of a Lifetime”.
The complete list of Best of Travel winners will be featured in the April issue of Outside, available March 17, and online at http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/travel-awards/30-Trips-to-Take-This-Year.html.
For further information contact:
Jack Gorman
Corporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2283
jack.gorman@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- awards
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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/tastescotland
