SPEAKER INTRO SLIDE (insert pic, name, subject)

MARC CROTHALL Scottish Tourism Alliance JONNY INGLEDEW North Uist Distillery Co.

Food Tourism Scotland Creating a global food tourism destination and unlocking a 1bn growth opportunity #Scotfoodtourism

Food tourism includes any tourism experience in which a person learns about and/or consumes food and drink that reflects the local cuisine, heritage, or culture of a place, including the active pursuit of unique and memorable eating, drinking, and agritourism experiences

Why are we doing this? Visitors spend around 995m on eating & drinking when on holiday in Scotland (UK 656m & overseas 339m) In 2017 there were 166 million trips (overnight stays & days out) in Scotland & visitors contributed 11.2bn to our economy Food and drink sector worth 14bn and on track to reach 30m by 2030 Plan represents a merging of two of Scotland s most successful & ambitious sectors Food tourism is a growing & flourishing industry across the world & Scotland must be part of that

How are we going to get there? Pillar 1: Sustainable local food supply chain Pillar 2: Quality products and experiences for all Pillar 3: Rich storytelling Pillar 4: Skilled & vibrant workforce Pillar 5: Innovative collaboration 17 Defined & Agree

Pillar One: Sustainable Local Food Supply Chain 1. Determine how the local food supply chain will meet increased demand and work to ensure any gaps are identified and filled as part of this process 2. Develop a business-to-business (B2B) local food and drink product code 3. Work with farms, estates and crofts to develop food tourism as a sustainable contributor to the agricultural sector, including the development and continuation of the monitor farm scheme Pillar Two: Quality Products & Experiences for All 4. Develop a further programme of Showcasing Scotland regional events, bringing local buyers and suppliers together 5. Evolve Taste Our Best into a world- leading business-to-consumer (B2C) food tourism quality assurance programme 6. Develop a brand and logo that identifies local food and drink for consumers in retail and foodservice settings Pillar Three: Rich Storytelling 7. Build a diverse collection of interesting and compelling food and drink stories that will both enhance and inspire tourism products 8. Develop a national food tourism website that is both industry and consumer facing

Pillar Four: Skilled & Vibrant Workforce 9. Create a food tourism apprenticeship programme 10. Develop a food tourism customer service excellence programme 11. Establish a national food tourism workforce development committee that includes representation from the public, private and non-profit sectors 12. Implement a people-focused public relations campaign that promotes the food tourism professions Pillar Five: Innovative Collaboration 13. Host an annual forum for the food tourism industry to learn from new research and experts, celebrate success and foster collaboration 14. Create a Scottish food tourism ambassador programme 15. Develop innovative multi-regional and cross-industry food tourism experiences Cross-Pillar 16. Develop and launch a national food tourism marketing framework 17. Grow food tourism market intelligence through new and supplementary research

So what s happening now.. Implementation planning phase underway - mapping of who does what Scoping who does what collaboration is key A national board has been formed to govern, oversee & be the ambassadors for the plan Preparation of detailed action plan & pitch for funding Scottish Government support/backing crucial Communications to all (producers, distributors, business )that engages motivates and inspires, making clear the what s in it for me Strong desire to do things differently

There are Global and Local challenges to overcome. Resource time & money; dependence on voluntary time Keeping up the momentum communicating at all levels Exciting & motivating industry to capitalise on opportunities now Managing a large diverse board all hungry with expectation Managing bigger, external pressures Achieving quick wins, ensuring continuous progress Attracting, growing & retaining a skilled workforce to deliver But there is lots of positive things happening too. There is a good interim communications plan in play We are talking food tourism at every opportunity- regionally, nationally & internationally Funding is available Year of Coast and Waters; Regional Food Fund Workshops & training underway Scotland s reputation for great food and drink is already right up there!

WE MUST REMAIN DETERMINED & CONFIDENT THAT OUR AMAZING FOOD & DRINK WILL DO THE TALKING AND ENSURE THAT WE COLLECTIVELY CAN ACHIEVE OUR 1BN GROWTH!

THANK YOU #Scotfoodtourism

North Uist THE HEBRIDEAN WHISKY TRAIL A new iconic whisky tourist trail through the Hebrides www.hebrideanwhisky.com Raise profile of our whisky. Boost visitor numbers to the distillery visitor centre. Knock on economic benefit to islands.

SPEAKER INTRO SLIDE (insert pic, name, subject)

LIAM CROUSE Ceòlas

Gàidhlig Bheò Building upon the Gaelic offer in Outer Hebrides tourist sector Liam Alastair Crouse, Ceòlas Uibhist

Cultural & linguistic tourism Outer Hebrides tourism offer How to build on current assets

Cultural Tourism The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (Article 4) prescribes the protection of natural, artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, to allow traditional cultural products, crafts and folklore to survive and flourish, rather than causing them to degenerate and become standardised. UN World Tourism Organisation

Cultural Tourism The global wealth of traditions is one of the principal motivations for travel, with tourists seeking to engage with new cultures and to experience the global variety of performing arts, handicrafts, rituals and cuisines. UN World Tourism Organisation

Linguistic Tourism Haida (Haida Nation, British Columbia): Impromptu Cultural Performances & Increase Haida Language Signage Bateq Indigenous Group (Malaysia): The involvement of Bateq Orang Asli in promoting ethnic tourism [...] has contributed to their language and cultural preservation.

Linguistic Tourism Wales: the majority of overseas visitors feel that it is important to see or hear the Welsh language during their visit to Wales, with an even larger majority saying it is important that their trip gives them an experience distinctive to Wales Welsh Visitor Survey 2016

Linguistic Tourism Gaeltacht (Ireland): of note also is the fact that 43.5% of respondents stated that Irish Language Spoken was an important/or very important influencing factor affecting their decision to visit the study area West Kerry Gaeltacht Tourism Survey 2010

Linguistic Tourism Gaeltacht (Ireland): A strong and unique cultural identity is a desirable asset in the competitive tourism environment of today and unusual or distinctive features such as local language can help to differentiate tourist destinations and make experiences more memorable for their visitors West Kerry Gaeltacht Tourism Survey 2010

Gàidhlig nan Eilean Siar The Western Isles is home to the strongest Gaelicspeaking communities in the world, with Uist enjoying particularly high percentages. An indigenous culture stretching back over 1,000 years; a traditional lifestyle A unique sense of place, including deep mines of traditional environmental knowledge (TEK)

Intangible Cultural Heritage Poetry, songs and literature Storytelling and mythologies Creating a sense of place, making the islands distinct an rud nach fhaic an t-sùil, cha ghluais e cridhe ; s trom an eire an t- aineòlas

Different Levels of Offer A sliding spectrum from awareness raising to full-blown immersion activities Overall aim of enhancing the tourism offer of the region Gaelic Tourism Strategy 2018-2023, VisitScotland

Benefits of tourism to Gaelic Gaelic benefits tourism; tourism must benefit Gaelic...to allow traditional cultural products, crafts and folklore to survive and flourish, rather than causing them to degenerate and become standardised. UN World Tourism Organisation Must be authentic

tapadh leibh

SPEAKER INTRO SLIDE (insert pic, name, subject)

SIMON BUTLER Callanish Visitor Centre

Urras nan Tursachan

People love history Scotland s Historic Environment generates 4.2bn for the economy in 2017 ( 3.4bn in 2014) It supports 66K FTE Jobs Attracts 18m visitors in 2018 (up from 16m in 2016) 5.23m visitors to HES staffed sites in 2018 (up 17% on previous year) HES memberships now stand at 194K, and have been rising steadily for a decade c120k visitors to Calanais in 2018 c47k Visitors to the Carloway Broch

Because people love a good story

And history has all the best stories

The Outer Hebrides does great history

And a fair dose of Mystery

1. Visitors want to engage with stories of an authentic past 2. We have these stories to tell

People, land, sea, struggle, clearances, exile, diaspora, homecoming

Conflict, loss, change, what remains behind

The deep past, a Neolithic coast, monuments, mystery, environmental change

A new Calanais Centre?