THE north's Year of Food and Drink has helped ensure cuisine is king.
The 12-month-long initiative, aimed at putting food and drink front and centre of the tourism experience, has surpassed all its targets, according to Tourism NI chair Terence Brannigan.
New figures reveal that it's been a year of big gains not just for visitors and the tourism/hospitality industry, but for the food and drink and agri-food sectors, and for export sales and food businesses as visitor satisfaction ratings soared.
Among the key statistics confirmed by the promoters are that the special year yielded £30 million in export sales and led to an equivalent £40 million in positive PR for the region, whose companies garnered a record-breaking 303 UK Great Taste gold awards.
Mr Brannigan said: “The satisfaction ratings we’ve received from the tourism industry and from our visitors for friendly, efficient service, use of local produce, opportunities to experience, and the availability of good local food and drink are very encouraging and now stand at 83 per cent overall.
"Food tourism in Northern Ireland is now ‘in business’ and has the potential to impact significantly on visitor spend in the future. This can only serve to help tourism reach its overall objectives to the end of the decade.”
He added: “Last year allowed the tourism and hospitality sectors to bring their food stories, food heritage and food and drink culture fully alive, and share them with visitors and residents alike in new and inventive ways”.
Top chef Niall McKenna of James Street South said: “The Year of Food and Drink has provided a firm foundation to build a platform for our incredible food and drink offering, and shine the spotlight on locally produced goods.
“Restaurateurs across Northern Ireland share a collective responsibility to showcase our indigenous produce in the most creative and impactful ways, and to as wide an audience as possible.
"With visitor numbers to Belfast and the region growing, there is a palpable positivity about the city as a vibrant hospitality destination and we need to keep the momentum going in 2017 and beyond to embed our tourism offering for the global market.”
A celebration event has been held in the Ulster Museum attended by key partners, stakeholders and industry representatives as well as media invitees from all over Ireland and Britain, who dined on a sumptuous five course banquet of exquisite local produce including Northern Ireland’s new signature dish ‘Born and Braised’.
