The Burren Food Trail was today honoured as the Irish winner of the 2015 EDEN (European Destination of Excellence) Award for developing a tourism offering based on their local gastronomy that balances sustaining the local environment with the promotion of viable tourism. The EDEN award was officially presented today by the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD, at a ceremony in the Doolin Hotel, Doolin, Co. Clare.
This prestigious EU-wide EDEN competition, which is themed differently every two years, is designed to encourage and promote a more sustainable form of tourism development and The Burren Food Trail was one of four destinations shortlisted under this year’s Tourism and Local Gastronomy theme. The three runner-up destinations were Cong Food Village, Mayo; the ‘Wild Atlantic Way So Sligo Food Trail’; and the West Waterford region.
Speaking at the ceremony today, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD said –
“Only in its third year the Burren Food Trail is still relatively new but they impressed the judges with the importance they placed on making The Burren region synonymous with great food and great food experiences for visitors and the local community.
“The standard of finalists this year was exceptionally high. During the onsite assessments, The Burren Food Trail, as well as the other shortlisted destinations, clearly demonstrated that their local gastronomy has taken a central role in their tourism offering while also sustaining their local environment.
“I am sure that this new accolade will go a long way to attracting even more visitors to the Trail, the region, and indeed to The Wild Atlantic Way”.
The Burren Food Trail now holds the European accolade of “Destination of Excellence 2015 – Tourism and Local Gastronomy” and will receive free marketing supports from Fáilte Ireland including a professional photo shoot for the destination to be used for promotional purposes and a grant of €5,000 for business development support initiatives. As victors, The Burren Food Trail will also represent Ireland at a showcase exhibition of the EDEN winners from all participating European countries in Brussels later this year.
Each year Fáilte Ireland manages the EDEN competition. John Mulcahy, Head of Food and Hospitality for Fáilte Ireland today emphasised –
“This year’s theme focused on small, emerging, non-traditional destinations located off the beaten track that offered an authentic food experience. This is something Ireland has in abundance, which made for a close and fiercely competitive competition.
“Just over one third of overseas visitor expenditure in Ireland is spent on food and drink equating to €1.2 billion in 2014. Ireland has some of the best raw ingredients in the world and is now excelling as a food destination because growers, producers, retailers and chefs all work together to promote their destination and produce wonderful locally sourced cuisine for visitors. The importance of the place, as well as what is on the plate, is what distinguishes Ireland from other culinary destinations because it gives visitors, from both home and abroad, a chance to get a truly authentic experience that they will always remember”.
Accepting the award, Tina O’Dwyer, Co-Ordinator of the Burren Food Trails said –
"We are delighted and honoured to be presented with this award. Businesses in the Burren have invested significantly in elevating their standards of sustainable tourism practice. We are particularly gratified that the Code of Practice adopted by the Burren Food Trail members was a key factor in creating an award-winning local tourism gastronomy initiative.
"What really distinguishes this destination however is the relationship between the Burren Food Trail and the wider tourism offering in the Geopark region. Through the Burren Ecotourism Network, food is integrated with outdoor activity and adventure, visitor centres and accommodation. It's a truly integrated local gastronomy experience."
The Burren Food Trail was chosen as the winning destination following on-site assessments by a panel of expert adjudicators who were looking for a destination that could provide examples of good practice, opportunities to improve the visitor food experience, a platform for the development and promotion of food tourism, an understanding of the challenges faced in the development of food tourism and a forum for networks to share knowledge.
During the adjudication The Burren Food Trail demonstrated a clear respect for the environment and promotion of sustainable local products, along with evidence of a robust recommendation system which ensures that tourist business stays in the area, rather than passing through. Recognition and promotion of the ‘pasture practice’ unique to the Burren, and how that aids the production of endogenous ingredients in gastronomy such as salads, fish, potatoes and foraging was also observed by the adjudication team, as was the range, availability and accessibility of food related activities and experiences which included bike safaris, picnics, foraging, demonstrations, the Burren brewery and the Burren fish smokers.
Follow us on twitter - @failte_ireland
ENDS
For further information contact
Alex Connolly – Head of Communications, Fáilte Ireland
01 8847 884 / 086 7966320
Catherine Whelan – Press Officer, Fáilte Ireland
01 8847 181 / 087 6449572
Tina O Dwyer, The Burren Food Trails - tina.burrenecotourism@gmail.com
NOTE TO EDITOR
Fáilte Ireland
Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority, was established in 2003 to guide and promote tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy.
The tourism and hospitality industry employs an estimated 205,000 people and generates over €6 billion in revenue a year.
What is EDEN – European Destinations of Excellence
EDEN is the acronym for European Destinations of Excellence, a project promoting sustainable tourism development models across the European Union. The project is based on national competitions that take place every two years and result in the selection of a tourist “destination of excellence” for each participating country, with twenty-nine countries participating in 2015.
EDEN is an EU-wide competition with two main aims. Firstly, it highlights the value, diversity and shared characteristics of European lesser known tourist destinations, and secondly, promotes destinations where the economic growth objective is pursued in such a way as to ensure the social, cultural and environmental sustainability of tourism.
It enhances the visibility of emerging European destinations, creates a platform for sharing good practices across Europe and promotes networking between awarded destinations.
This European quest for excellence in tourism is developed around an annual theme, chosen by the Commission together with the relevant national tourism bodies.
Eligible destinations will be those:
• that are “small” or “emerging” or “off the beaten track” or “non-traditional” (with visitor numbers from low to very low in comparison with the national average);
• shall offer authentic Tourism experiences;
• that have a well-developed gastronomy that is characteristic of the region.
The Burren Food Trail
Launched by the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark and the Burren Ecotourism Network as the Mid West's first food trail in 2013, the Burren Food Trail is supported by an innovative schedule of food events taking place every Monday from May to October.
The events showcase the regions cuisine and provide a unique food experience in the amazing landscape that is the Burren. Members of the Food Trail place an emphasis on the use of local ingredients and are committed to building a sustainable future for the region through food.
Jump to top