Press release -
Chocs away!
Scotland’s only dedicated Chocolate Trail is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors during its first ever Easter season.
With foodies from across the globe flocking to sample Scotland’s sweet offering, some of the country’s top chocolatiers are devising a delicious range of events and products to tempt tourists through their doors.
Launched in June last year, by the Scottish Chocolatiers Network, the Chocolate Trail spans from Mayan Truffles in Dumfries and Galloway to Foords Chocolates on Shetland, and comprises over 70 different businesses.
The Cocoa Bean Company is already enjoying an early Easter boom with visitors from south of the border stopping by its Dumfries and Galloway shop. The Tywnholm-based business will be holding an Easter egg hunt and fun day to entice visitors during the holidays.
Situated on the far Northwest tip of Scotland, the newly refurbished Cocoa Mountain in Durness will be welcoming even more people this year having doubled its seating capacity. The first 50 customers visiting on Easter Saturday will also get a free gold or silver ‘plated’ chocolate motorbike.
There will also be an extra surprise for those lucky enough to find one of five golden tickets hidden inside artisan Easter Eggs from Chocolate Tree in Edinburgh. As well as winning a £20 gift voucher, winners will also get a free tour of their factory on Easter Monday.
The team at the Highland Chocolatier in Perthshire will be demonstrating how to make your own Easter surprises over the holiday period. Whilst for those countering the calories iQ Chocolate, which is available at Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Whole Foods and is a common ingredient in the puddings of acclaimed chef Mark Greenaway, has created a limited edition Easter bar. iQ Chocolate is a Scottish bean-to-bar chocolate producer who specialise in superfood raw chocolate.
Scotland’s Chocolate Trail is one of 10 Scottish food and drink trails to feature in a specially created free eBook by VisitScotland.
Designed to encourage visitors to take a culinary tour of the country, ‘A Taste of Scotland’s Foodie Trails’ combines details of Scotland’s food trails with information about relevant local businesses and interesting facts about each product.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “Chocolate fans are in for a real treat this year as there really is no better time to discover Scotland’s Chocolate Trail than during the Easter break. From the bustling capital city, to the quiet beauty of the Highlands to tastings, pairing and demonstrations, this delicious journey will take visitors on a trip they will never forget.
“Easter weekend is always a hugely significant time for the tourism industry with people across the UK and beyond making the most of their time off to venture out and discover many different experiences across the length and breadth of Scotland
“2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a chance to celebrate our natural larder and the role food and drink plays in shaping our economic success and cultural identity.”
With over 70 chocolate makers on the trail dotted all across the country, there is an endless variety of experiences. The trail also passes near several attractions such as the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Maclellan’s Castle in Kirkcudbright or the Glengoyne Distillery in Drumgoyne to name but a few.
To download a copy of ‘A Taste of Scotland’s Foodie Trails’ e-book visit:
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- year of food and drink
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
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- 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
