INSIGHT DEPARTMENT Topic Paper July 2016
The Growth of Craft BEER & The Scottish Tourism Industry: How Your Business Can Benefit
1 Background The rise of interest in craft beer over recent the tourism industry over recent years, and years has also mirrored many similar consumer are already affecting consumer behaviour and trends within the tourism industry. The growth decisions. in interest from younger demographics, most notably millennials, has driven a search for VisitScotland conducted research in products that are authentic and give an honest conjunction with The Brewers Association of representation of their brand. Consumers Scotland (TBAS) in order to better understand searching for transparency within their the potential craft beer has for enhancing products have also been attracted to the the tourism experience through the food and craft beer phenomenon due to their ability drink industry in Scotland. The following to tell a compelling, honest story about their paper highlights the potential craft beer has in background and passion for their product. enhancing the Scottish tourism product, Provenance has also played an integral role in as well as offering stakeholders food for helping craft beer brewers tell the story of their thought on how this trend could positively brand, highlighting their heritage and roots. impact their business. These trends have also been identified within
What is Craft Beer? Although it is difficult to define what exactly makes a beer or ale craft, it is most commonly associated with small, independent breweries who offer a unique product.
2 The importance of Food & Drink to Scotland’s tourism industry Food and drink is an important part of our Although the vast majority do not come to Scottish cultural identity and heritage and is Scotland solely for the purpose of sampling therefore, a key strength in promoting Scotland craft beer, trying local food and drink enhances as a holiday destination. Sampling traditional their experiences. Research from VisitScotland’s dishes and local produce is one of the top Visitor Survey (2015) found that ‘trying local activities undertaken by visitors to Scotland. drinks’ was the third highest food & drink Recent research from VisitScotland’s Visitor experience undertaken by visitors to Scotland Survey (2015) found that trying local food and whilst on their trip. This further highlights the drink is an integral part of the visitor experience, importance provenance plays in the mind set of particularly for international visitors, who show tourists, and the potential role it plays in terms a strong desire to find out about the provenance of motivating consumers to Scotland. of food and drink products.
which of the following did you experience on your holiday / short break in scotland
Dined out in a 95% 92% Restaurant, café or pub 93% Tried local food 75% 49% 56% Tried local drinks 68% 40% (E.G. Whisky, cra beer) 47% Night out / visited pubs 47% 33% 36% Had a picnic or bbq 24% 31% 30% Visited a 38% 13% whisky distillery 20% Attended a 6% International Food & drink event 4% 4% Domestic Went on a 3% 1% Food or drink trail 1% Total
Base: 1608 Source: Scotland Visitor Survey (2015)
Did you know…
Visitors to Scotland spend 20% of their holiday budget on eating and drinking.
Source: VisitScotland Research
3 Expectation and Experience It is important to recognise that a gap exists found their experience greatly surpassed their between the expectation and experience of expectations, particularly within international Scottish food and drink products by visitors. markets. This further enforces the positive Recent research found that international image that the provenance of food and visitors, particularly Europeans have a lower drink products has on improving the visitors expectation than other markets of Scottish experience whilst on their trip. food and drink products. However, all markets