Quality food tourism experiences are memorable and engaging. They help businesses to get Scottish food and drink on plates, in glasses, and in shopping bags.
They also help build vibrant local communities and they encourage visitors to book return trips and spread the word about their experience.
Visitors are now seeking more immersive experiences, going beyond just sampling local cuisine. They want to learn more about the region behind the produce and the local culture and history that influences it.
Popular experiences include:
Your business' story is unique and can help you stand out from the crowd. Don't be shy in showcasing what you are all about - your craft, your relationship with the community and local produce - throughout your food tourism experience and let visitors really get to know the business.
Scottish people are known globally for their kind and warm nature so make sure your visitors experience this from booking, right through to post-experience communication.
Visitors are looking to sample Scottish culture and cuisine. As well as providing a truly Scottish experience, sourcing local, seasonal produce (where possible) supports the local economy and will help you reach net zero. Discover the best produce available with the seasonality calendar on visitscotland.com.
Make sure your staff know the food experience inside and out. This can take the form of knowing practical information about the experience, the business, its history, and the local area. They should be ready to answer any question a visitor may ask.
As a minimum, your experience should be consistent, well-organised and professionally run. Make sure that your tour, talk or event is well-balanced in content and timing so that your visitors are comfortable throughout and consider your facilities and their capacity as well as the necessary regulations you’ll need to operate.
A great place to start is defining who your ideal visitor will be. This is an important early step to make sure the experience:
Once you know which visitors you want to target, get to know everything about them by:
How are you going to make your product different to the other food tourism experiences on offer? What small details can you add to make the difference between a good experience and a great experience? Think about how you could:
CASE STUDY: At Braeside of Lindores Farm, the owners developed The Hide. This custom-made cabin has a live fire cooking experience with the option to have a private chef cook for visitors. You can read our case study to discover how they delight and surprise their visitors.
Don't make your booking process complicated or too long. This could put visitors off from completing the process or they could start the experience with a negative impression. You can make your booking seamless if you:
Once the booking is complete, help your visitors prepare for their arrival by informing them with:
Delivering an exceptional visitor experience is about more than just a strong product offer. How you go over and above to make your visitors feel special will have them booking again and shouting about your business to friends and family. Consider how you can:
CASE STUDY: For example, visitors often take pictures eating the homemade muffins from Glenegedale House that are offered during breakfast. As they post these on social media, they generate free publicity for the business.
The experience doesn’t end as soon as your visitors have left. You could provide them with some reminders of their time with you or you could make sure to gather feedback, where possible, to continually improve your experience. Consider:
Learn more about the importance of managing your online reviews.
Sustainability is at the heart of profitable businesses that are rooted in their environment and set up for long-term success. It should be an important concern for every business, to ensure its resilience and financial performance. Time spent evaluating the business holistically will pay dividends in reducing costs and carbon footprint.
Take a look at some of the areas to consider and use our resources to start taking action against climate change.
Look at each area of the business and consider if and how sustainable improvements can be made, including:
The following suggestions could offer you more concrete ideas on how to reduce the area of your carbon footprint that's specifically related to food:
Understand how your business can reduce emissions with our simple climate impact guide
View a range of resources to help your business become more energy efficient, save water, reduce waste and recycle.
Find out how Wilson's Farm and Kitchen have created a thriving agritourism business.
Tips and case studies for the food and drink sector to reach net zero.
