Scotland has further enhanced its reputation as a land of culinary delights, with new figures revealing a great response to the country’s Year of Food and Drink activity.

Featuring a range of events organised by VisitScotland, the national tourism organisation, Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink was launched by the Scottish Government last May as a legacy of the 2009 Homecoming celebrations.

And a survey has shown that, between October and December 2010, there was a 6.5 per cent surge in the number of people who agreed that “Scotland is a country of great food and drink experiences”.*

Initiatives include Scotland’s Best Bars Scheme, in association with the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, Cafe Days, which allows people to nominate their favourite cafes, coffee shops and tea rooms on visitscotland.com, and the quality assurance scheme EatScotland, which is designed to raise the profile of Scottish food and help visitors and local residents find good food establishments.

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “It is important that visitors have a quality food and drink experience while on holiday in Scotland, enjoying authentic, iconic and seasonal culinary delights. These new figures show that our Year of Food and Drink activity is helping to promote Scotland as somewhere to enjoy a wonderful range of produce.”

Tourism Minister Jim Mather said: “Through the Year of Food and Drink, Scotland is united in celebrating and promoting our reputation as a world-class culinary destination and encouraging people from all over the world to come and sample a taste of the delicious, authentic produce Scotland has to offer. These figures demonstrate that the industry’s collaborative efforts are paying off – and encouraging visitors to return to Scotland time and time again for more great food and drink experiences.”

Figures show that £1 in every £5 spent by a visitor in Scotland is on food and drink-related activity, equating to more than £500 million for UK visitors alone.