Food tourism firmly on the menu

Food festival ‘Harvest Feast’ was today launched by Trevor Sargent T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The event will run from 11th to 13th September in and around Drumshanbo in South Leitrim. The festival is organised by Greenbox, Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-Op, the Food Hub and the National Organic Training Skillnet – all key organisations in food and tourism in the North West.

Fáilte Ireland is supporting the event recognising the importance of Irish food to the overall tourist experience. A significant proportion of a visitors time on holiday will be spent experiencing food in some way – either consuming it in local dining or hospitality establishments, visiting specialist shops and markets or having a hand on learning experience in a cookery school. As a consequence the experience the visitors have of food will play a pivotal part in determining their satisfaction with their overall holiday.
 
The launch of Harvest Feast follows on from another food festival, the inaugural Taste of Carlingford which took place last weekend.
 
Tracey Coughlan from Fáilte Ireland believes food related events such as these provide an opportunity to showcase the unique Irish culture and also help bring the host area to life.  She said:

“It is our vision that Ireland will be recognised as a quality food tourism destination and the experience of eating out in Ireland, whether in the local pub, at a festival or in a fine dining establishment, will be one of value for money,  and  a quality experience  that  embodies our traditional and contemporary way of life.”
Part funded by Fáilte Ireland through its Festivals and Events Initiative, Harvest Feast, and indeed festivals and events in general, are viewed as key drivers of tourism.  They provide opportunities to showcase culture, people and places, greatly improve the visitor experience of Ireland and are essential in improving the distribution of tourism revenue around the country.  In addition, the spending by festival goers on hospitality and accommodation provides a valuable boost to urban and rural economies all over Ireland.
 
Ms Coughlan continued:

“The quality of our food ingredients is recognised worldwide as excellent in terms of both quality and authenticity. While Irish cuisine may not be as renowned as those of our neighbours on the continent, the strength of our basic ingredients – beef, lamb, dairy – are a strong selling point. In these challenging times, continuing to create demand for our tourism product is vital.  Specialist areas like food and annual events like Harvest Feast are very important in this regard.”
 

New Food Website

A newly developed website from Good Food Ireland was also launched today. www.goodfoodireland.ie now features a direct booking facility and showcases all the latest information and offers for the perfect good food home holiday including places to eat, stay, shop and visit.
 

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Louise Tolerton
Press Officer - 086 6086578/01 8847135
 

Note for editor

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 250,000 people and generates more than €6 billion in revenue a year.

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