Food and drink are hugely important to the tourism experience, offering substantial image and economic benefits to a destination.  Visitors are more likely to remember a good (or bad) eating experience than to recall a visit to a particular art gallery or museum, for example.

We know that food and drink through tourism makes an important contribution to the Scottish economy. One in every five pounds spent by a tourist in Scotland is on a food and drink related activity, equating to almost one billon pounds per annum.

From consumer research we found that generally, there is scope to promote and inform visitors more concerning locally sourced food and that there are opportunities to improve both expectations and perceptions of food quality amongst visitors. The quality of eating and drinking experiences is extremely important in encouraging return visits to Scotland and, given that we boast some of the finest natural produce on earth, we are well placed to capitalise on the growing interest in food and tourism.

VisitScotland is committed to raising Scotland’s profile as a credible and emerging culinary tourism destination amongst travel and hospitality industry professionals, the media and visitors alike and in recent times, we have participated in a number of exciting food and tourism initiatives including:

• Establishing a pilot Quality Assurance scheme with the Scottish Association of Farmers’ Markets
• Forging a strong relationship with the International Slow Food movement
• Launching the EatScotland food quality assurance scheme.
• Sponsoring and promoting of a number of food festivals across the country
• Establishing Dine Around, a multi-day restaurant promotion providing a great meal and exceptional value at a fixed price during quieter periods of the year.
• Creating food themed tourist itineraries sent out to hundreds of thousands of potential visitors who respond to our advertising campaigns
• Promoting Scottish food and drink at tourism events such as the ScottishVillage at Tartan Week and at travel shows and fairs at home and abroad
• Developing www.eatscotland.com, our niche website dedicated to the promotion of tourism through food and drink in Scotland

The EatScotland food quality assurance scheme is the highest profile Scottish food tourism initiative over the last year.  It has been designed to recognise quality and excellence in all categories of eating establishments, from tea rooms to take-aways, from pubs to restaurants.

The result of wide-ranging research by VisitScotland, involving lengthy consultation with the food industry and consumers , EatScotland grades not only the quality of food served in establishments, but other aspects such as service, general atmosphere, overall facilities and hygiene.

EatScotland is supported by the www.eatscotland.com website, which promotes not only the scheme and the accredited establishments within it, but also provides profiles of producers and key players in the Scottish food and drink scene, regional specialities and articles of general interest. The eatscotland.com website spearheads a consumer marketing push and is a fantastic platform from which to communicate with visitors from home and abroad. An electronic newsletter is currently being developed, with the aim of providing consumers with information about food, drink and eating out in Scotland. In addition, special offers, competitions and topical interviews ensure that a regular visit to the website is most worthwhile.

These are exciting times for Scottish food and Scottish tourism. For many years, we have been the butt of many jokes about our cuisine, but such a reputation has been unjustified and in the last few years, we’ve started to challenge the negative perceptions. 

We boast a number of well-known chefs who are at the forefront of the UK’s culinary renaissance, several world class restaurants and delicatessens and some of the finest beef, lamb, game, seafood, fish and dairy produce in the world.

National bodies such as Quality Meat Scotland and Scottish Quality Salmon as well as local food groups and networks capably promote Scottish produce at home and abroad. Our farmers’ market scene is thriving and a shining example of how local producers and businesses are collaborating for the common good. And visitors flock to the many food festivals and events that are becoming established across the country.  There is a vibrancy and excitement about the Scottish culinary scene these days, but we’re only as good as the lowest common denominator and so VisitScotland is continuously striving to improve our standards.

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Banners/Logos
Banners are available for other websites who would wish to link to the EatScotland site as well as some basic HTML coding.

Web Listing Opportunity on EatScotland.com includes:

• An annual listing on the Eatscotland website to promote your business. This listing includes contact details, detailed description of your business, images, menu upload facility. Consumers also have the opportunity to review your restaurant should they wish too.
• ·Access to discounted advice on food quality and service
• ·Access to ongoing information about the Scheme and supporting packages