Experiencing Scotland
For many visitors, culinary tourism is an integral part of their travel experience. In Scotland, there is increasing demand from visitors to sample distinctive local food and to taste traditional cooking.
By opting for good quality and authentic regional produce, tourism businesses and event organisers can increase profits and enhance both their profile and the visitor experience they offer.
Research undertaken by Scottish Enterprise during 2009 indicated:
· Consumers preferto buy food with local provenance (sold with an explicit reference to where it comes from). Their perception is that food ‘with a story behind it’ is of better quality.
· Visitors are willing to pay 3 - 15% more for food that they know is of Scottish or regional origin.
· Businesses and events providing local food enhance the visitor experience and typically enjoy higher levels of sales - on average 20% more per year.
2011 is the year to get on board, as government and the private sector work together to build Scotland’s reputation as ‘The Land of Food and Drink’. This profile is helping businesses and event organisers to deliver the best of Scottish produce to 16 million visitors every year.
One-to-One Business Support
Through the Experiencing Scotland project, Scottish Enterprise can offer eligible tourism businesses and event organisers one-to-one business advice supplied by the Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy. This is available at nominal cost and includes:
· An induction to business tools and support networks available through Scotland Food and Drink, Tourism Intelligence Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and others.
· Up to 2 days direct consultancy support delivering a bespoke diagnostic analysis, which reviews the menu offer, service delivery, purchasing, marketing, staff skills and overall financial performance.
· A bespoke action plan with benchmarks, targets and timescales for achievement.
· Referrals to suppliers, events and support organisations as appropriate.
· Review of progress and telephone support as required.
Businesses eligible for support include:
· Visitor attractions with over 250,000 visitors annually
· Hotel groups operating across Scotland
· Conference venues
· Sporting venues involved in international events
· National carriers
· Events attracting UK and international visitors
Further information
Businesses seeking further information on one-to-one consultancy should contact:
Nicola Watt at Scottish Enterprise OR
Sandra Reid at Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy
Why businesses should offer Scottish food and drink
· Today’s visitors are looking for a ‘food experience’ where they can sample a local culture through its food and drink. By offering fresh ingredients and local dishes, businesses are more likely to attract new, first time visitors; enhance their visitor experience; and entice them back.
· Whether a business is a small B&B or a large visitor attraction, providing good food for visitors will improve its bottom line. On average, visitors could spend nearly £1 more on food and drink at businesses offering authentic local and Scottish produce. That could amount to £94 million in additional sales across the country if all businesses were to offer this!
· Scotland’s produce is highly regarded but our reputation as a place to eat out does not enjoy the same recognition. Often world-class Scottish food and drink is either not available or visitors are simply not aware that they are ‘eating Scottish’. By highlighting their use of Scottish food and drink through menus and staff, businesses can enhance their visitor experience, offer greater value for money and improve their bottom line.
· People today have greater awareness of health issues and are conscious about what they eat. It’s important that businesses are mindful of the menu choices they offer. Businesses should think about how they can tailor their visitor experience around authentic, healthy themes.
· By offering catering from regional or local suppliers, businesses can really cut down their food miles and appeal to the growing number of visitors influenced by green business practices. What’s more, by offering Scottish food and drink, businesses are supporting other Scottish companies and ensuring that their business contributes to the Scottish economy.
Helpful resources
· Tourism businesses often don’t know where or how to access local produce. The Scotland Food and Drink website includes a Buyers Guide, which provides a comprehensive listing of over 1,300 Scottish suppliers as well as a range of other useful information. Businesses can access the guide at www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org
· The ‘Food Experience in Scotland’ and ‘At Your Service’ guides from Tourism Intelligence Scotland are packed with practical insights, top tips and case studies to help businesses develop more innovative food and drink products and services. Register at www.tourism-intelligence.co.uk to access the guides.
· ‘A Taste for Events’ is a guide to help event planners showcase the very best of Scotland’s mouth-watering larder. It offers simple and expert advice to anyone organising an event and is essentially a one-stop shop with contacts for local food groups, farmers’ markets, professional caterers, certification schemes and all the people who can help make an event more attractive and more successful. Download a copy of the guide at www.eventscotland.org
For further information about the project contact Gillian Harrower,
E: , Tel. 01738 860523
Experiencing Scotland is funded and delivered by Scottish Enterprise