Press release -
Recipe for success
More than 60 people attended Ardross Farm Shop to learn how their businesses could benefit from a year-long celebration of Scotland’s natural larder.
Organised by VisitScotland, Food from Fife and the East of Scotland Seafood project, Our Seafood in Fife was aimed at tourism and food and drink businesses across the Kingdom.
Designed to inspire and inform the region’s tourism industry about how they can attract visitors during the Year of Food and Drink, the event offered one-to-one menu surgery appointments, as well as the chance to hear from case studies using local produce to increase and retain business.
Launched last week by Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, the Year of Food and Drink 2015 will build upon momentum generated in 2014, increase awareness of Scottish produce and enhance Scotland’s global reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.
Recent figures estimated that £16.7 million is spent on food and drink every year by visitors from Great Britain staying overnight in Fife.
To help tourism businesses make the most of the opportunity 2015 represents, VisitScotland has also created a bespoke free toolkit. Hosted on the national tourism organisation’s corporate website, visitscotland.org and available for download, the online toolkit contains resources such as logos, marketing guidance, funding information and general advice to ensure that businesses the length and breadth of the country can cater for an influx of foodie fans.
Manuela Calchini, VisitScotland Regional Partnerships Director, said:
“Fife is home to award-winning fish and seafood and the Year of Food and Drink is all about showcasing our natural larder. We hope this event helped equip businesses with the ingredients they need to cater for customers during 2015 and beyond. With food and drink tourism worth millions to the local economy every year, there is a real financial incentive for businesses to take part.”
Viv Collie, co-ordinator of the East of Scotland Seafood Project, and one of the founders of Food from Fife, said:
“There has been a very enthusiastic response from local businesses to the event today and I hope it has provided valuable information for them. It was great to hear from participants who were able to share their experiences and broaden their knowledge, particularly two Fife business representatives who have been very successful in the field of food tourism and have a strong interest in seafood.”
To download a free copy of the Year of Food and Drink toolkit visit
www.visitscotland.org/year-of-food-and-drink.aspx
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
