Drinks Ireland has unveiled IrishWhiskey360° - the new brand and home for Irish whiskey tourism.
IrishWhiskey360° celebrates the spirit and unique characters of the Irish whiskey industry.
In phase one, it will focus on spotlighting 17 Irish whiskey distillery visitor centres or brand homes operated by members of Drinks Ireland and the Irish Whiskey Association.
Success Story
The IrishWhiskey360° brand was launched by minister for agriculture, food and the marine Michael Creed at an event in The Jameson Experience on Bow Street in Dublin.
"Irish whiskey is one of the real success stories of the Irish food and drink industry, competing on the world stage with sales in over 135 markets," the minister said at the launch. "It has made a huge contribution to Ireland's tourism industry, attracting almost one million visitors to 17 Irish whiskey distillery visitor centres and brand homes all over the country."
He added, "I am delighted to launch IrishWhiskey360° as it has massive potential to bring more visitors and more jobs to cities, towns and rural communities right across Ireland."
The launch of IrishWhiskey360° has been scheduled to coincide with and support Fáilte Ireland's Taste the Island campaign.
Whisky Tourism
William Lavelle, Head of Irish Whiskey Association in Drink Ireland, said that the new scheme aims to make Ireland the number one destination in the world for whiskey tourism.
"Visitors to Irish whiskey distilleries and visitor centres are set to break the one million mark this year for the first time ever," Lavelle said. "The Irish Whiskey Tourism Strategy, which we published in 2016, sets out an ambitious target of 1.7 million visitors by 2025. "The fantastic collaborative approach taken by distilleries, visitor centres and state agencies, which is central to IrishWhiskey360° project, will ensure we reach this target."
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
