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Article published 07/05/2024

New guide now available

Today we have launched a new Food Tourism Industry Guide in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink. The guide is a user-friendly one-stop shop to help businesses succeed and grow in the food tourism industry.

Packed with practical advice, key research and insights, resources and inspirational case studies, the guide is designed to help businesses develop, market and deliver a quality food tourism experience for visitors. 

Whether you're a new food tourism business, or an existing one who is looking to diversify your product offering, this guide has practical advice and support for businesses of all sizes and at every stage of developing an experience. 

Go to the guide

Visitors enjoying their experience with Wilson's Farm and Kitchen. Credit: Craig Stephen

What is food tourism and why is it important?

Food tourism experiences can include talks, tours, tastings, workshops and more. They give visitors a sense of place and help them to taste, appreciate and learn about our produce. 

And, research has shown that, promoting Scotland's food and drink is a recipe for success with the industry having the potential to provide significant growth for tourism. 

The latest findings in our Visitor Survey 2023 showed that almost half of visitors took part in at least one food and drink activity during their trip last year, with nearly a fifth of long-haul visitors naming food and drink as the reason for choosing Scotland as destination. 

 

 

This rise in food related travel is a global trend, driven by increasing consumer interest in food and drink combined with a desire for more unique and authentic travel experiences boosted by social media and television shows, such as Somebody Feed Phil which recently featured an episode on Scotland.

With the global food tourism predicted to be worth £2,500 billion by 2032, this market presents huge opportunity for Scotland. Our free industry guide can help businesses make the most of it by developing food tourism experiences that will put Scotland on the map as a haven for food lovers.

What's included in the guide?

  • Developing a food tourism experience

    Find out how to develop a quality food tourism experience or business with our step by step guidance and case studies. 

  • Marketing your food tourism experience

    Learn how to put effective marketing tactics in place to reach your intended audience and grow your business.

  • Sourcing local produce guidance

    Find out how to source and use more local produce in your business, including Scottish ingredients and menu item examples.

  • Case studies and resources

    Get inspiration from other food tourism businesses and access further resources and information to help start turning your ideas into actions.

Scotland’s reputation for food and drink is exceptional. We want to share our world-class offering through memorable tourism experiences right across the country and build our reputation as a leading global destination for food and drink.

With this now a significant consideration for visitors choosing destinations and an integral part of their stay in Scotland, this presents a huge opportunity for businesses, which is why we have partnered with Scotland Food & Drink to create this new industry guide.

With particular demand for locally produced food and drink, developing this tourism offer can benefit those in the wider supply chain supporting communities and the economy as well as our own responsible tourism ambitions.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive, VisitScotland

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