Business First December 2017 December BF Digital | Page 62

TOURISM
Food and Drink success can put
further tourism growth on the menu
By Dr Peter Bolan, Ulster University Business School
orthern Ireland food and drink
businesses recently swept the boards
at the 2017 Blas na hEireann Irish
Food Awards in Dingle.
Now in its 10th year these awards are the
largest annual competition for quality food
and drink produce on the island of Ireland.
Over 2,500 products were entered in this
year’s awards.
The Causeway Coast and Glens region
secured one of the largest numbers of
accolades on a regional basis. Lacada Brewery
(Portrush) led the way achieving five awards,
including a prestigious gold medal for their
Devil’s Wastub dark ale, Best in Antrim and
Best New Product in Ireland (also for the
Devil’s Washtub dark ale). Other Causeway
region winners included Broighter Gold,
Corndale Farm, Glenballyeamon Eggs,
Ballinteer Farm and Morelli’s Ice Cream – all
picking up a range of coveted medals. Other
Northern Ireland winners included Hannan
Meats, Clandeboye Yoghurt, Long Meadow
Cider and Burren Balsamics.
Truly enormous success then, showcasing
that we have some of the best food and drink
produce in Ireland. On the tourism front, food
and drink is very much a key element of any
visitor experience; with eating out a primary
activity.
Indeed, food can be seen as one of the most
essential elements of the tourist experience.
This can therefore bring a significant
economic dividend to a country or
region that can provide the mix of
good quality food and drink that
today’s tourist seeks.
In fact, food and beverage
expenditures can amount to as much
as one­third of overall tourist
expenditure in terms of global
tourism turnover. Trends in tourism
show that tourists are increasingly
seeking a stronger connection to the
places and communities that they
visit.
It’s not just about taking in the
scenery and visiting the key tourist
attractions. Our visitors want to be
immersed in the local communities
they visit, eat local cuisine, drink local
beer, taste local whiskey and indeed
meet the artisans making the
products they are tasting and
purchasing.
In Northern Ireland we very much
have that strong artisan produce and
the quality, depth and range of what
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is on offer is clearly developing and gathering
pace (as confirmed by the great award
successes recently achieved).
With our 2016 Year of Food and Drink in
Northern Ireland we began to showcase this
to a vast audience in ways which hadn’t
received the same level of prominence before.
One concern was that perhaps the
momentum achieved that year couldn’t be
maintained or wouldn’t continue.
Clearly anything but the case, such fears
have clearly not come to pass and the quality
of our Northern Ireland produce is soaring to
even higher height through 2017.
The range, depth and quality of food dishes
on offer in our restaurants has developed
tremendously in recent times (with many
great accolades, reviews and awards received
to highlight such success).
The sheer creativity, variety and success of
our artisan food and drink producers is also
something to celebrate and to be proud of
here at home, but we also now have the
quality ‘food tourism product’ and great
stories around that to tell that will appeal to
the international visitor in ever­increasing
numbers.
We have many great elements now
attracting tourists to Northern Ireland,
witnessed by strong growth in visitor
numbers and tourist spend through 2017 to
date.
Our food and drink produce is now firmly
on the overall tourism menu and has become
a hugely significant part of the experience our
many visitors enjoy.