Niall Sabongi, Klaw seafood restaurant & Fáilte Ireland Food Champion with International journalists
A group of influential European media with a combined circulation of over 4 million are in the capital this week to experience and sample the very best of Dublin’s tourism and gastronomy offerings. Included in the group of journalists is Colin Heggie who writes for The Scotsman newspaper which has a circulation of over 2 million.
The group who write for newspapers, foodie magazines and radio are from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the UK and are here to see for themselves our culturally ‘cool’ city and coastal villages and how it successfully merges the old with the new on a visit, organised by Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland.
To bring Dublin's new brand 'Dublin. A Breath of Fresh Air' to life, a bespoke itinerary designed by Fáilte Ireland, was put together to allow the journalists to experience the city's exceptional and diverse food scene in both the city centre and in the coastal villages. While here they will enjoy a walking tour of the city with award winning food blogger Ketty Quigley, also one of Fáilte Ireland’s food champions, bake bread in Cooks Academy cookery school, visit a salmon smokehouse in Howth, browse through artisan food shops, visit a gastropub, cafés, and seafood bars in Killiney, Dalkey, Sandycove, and Malahide, on Dublin's Bay.
Welcoming the group to Ireland, John Mulcahy, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Food Tourism, said:
“We believe that Dublin’s new wave of creative hubs, bars, foodie hotspots, microbreweries and art spaces spread right along the coastline and outside the city generates a new atmosphere for visitors. An opportunity awaits food lovers to sample what Dublin Bay’s landscape and coastal seascape food and produce has to offer. Fáilte Ireland is delighted to be actively showcasing our food offering in both the city and coastal villages to these top journalists, so they can return home to spread the word through their columns to further increase visitor numbers in the future.”
Interestingly, just over one third of overseas visitor expenditure in Ireland is spent on food and drink equating to €2 billion. After a long and complex history, Ireland’s reputation is fast growing as a world class destination for food lovers. Teams of creative and talented chefs and a new generation of small scale artisan producers are the driving force behind this food revolution.”
Fáilte Ireland research shows the importance overseas visitors place not just on the availability of locally sourced ingredients and distinctly national/regional dishes but also the knowledge of staff about the food they are serving. Food festivals and events also provide a unique opportunity to satisfy all three of these priorities.
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ENDS
For further information please contact:
Catherine Whelan - Press Office
087 6449572/01 8847181
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