The Foodie Destinations 2018 winner will be a destination that:
- Actively promotes itself through joint promotional activities such as food festivals, gourmet trails or farmers’ markets as well as great dining experiences for locals and visitors alike.
- Will have established a local producer/supplier network which is utilised and promoted by local businesses.
- Plans for future growth and investment into the food and hospitality industry at a local level will also be taken into consideration by Foodie Destinations judges.
- Education, training, development and employment will be key components of the ultimate food Foodie Destination.
- Collaboration is of utmost importance - we want to see communities working towards a common goal.
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| The 2017 Foodie Destinations Winner was West Cork |
"This year there will also be the addition of a new award category of ‘Foodie Town’ and this category name refers to both towns and villages," said Adrian Cummins, CEO Restaurant Association of Ireland, which pioneered the Foodie Destinations Award initiative in 2014, initially as part of the Irish Restaurant Awards. "Tourism or vacationing should be a primary component of the local culture and economy. These towns offer a stand-alone, unique food and tourism visitor experience which does not expand out to the surrounding areas," he added.
The competition welcomes back FBD Insurance as the official sponsor, for the second year.
John Reade, Head of Business Insurance at FBD Insurance said, "FBD Insurance is a proud sponsor of The Foodie Destinations Award and it is our pleasure to be associated with an event supporting the agri food industry and wider business community. For 50 years FBD Insurance has been proud to support local community initiatives and as Irelands only indigenous Insurer we are delighted to see so many communities developing their own food culture offerings and contributing to the wonderfully diverse food culture in Ireland."
If your town, village, suburb or region thinks you have a unique food tourism offering and would like to apply, go to www.foodiedestinations.ie where you will find the Entry Criteria, a template of the application form and a link to the Official Entry Form.
The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Thursday 12th of July and the Winner will be announced on the 28th of August 2018.
Follow the Foodie Destinations Award as it progresses, on Social Media at hashtag #FoodieDestinations and on Facebook Here and Twitter Here
If you have any queries regarding entry, contact Shauna on 00 353 (1) 677 9901 or shauna@rai.ie
Zack