Helping Scotland's food and drink businesses go global - News

The conversations helping Scottish food and drink reach new audiences

Food and drink are increasingly where Scotland attracts the attention of tour operators looking for original experiences to sell to visitors.

Food trails, producer tours and tastings, farm visits and wild dining offer that local connection to Scotland's people, places and produce that their customers are seeking.

Our latest trends and visitor survey have also highlighted the prominence of food and drink experiences as activities.

Putting Scottish experiences on the menu

VisitScotland Connect gives tourism and events businesses the chance to become part of future travel itineraries.

By bringing together tourism and events businesses with UK and international travel buyers, the event helps create opportunities for Scottish experiences to reach new markets and attract future visitors.

This year, industry leadership organisation, Scotland Food & Drink attended for the first time, supporting businesses Dark Skies Distillery and Borderland Food Tours to attend also.

A whole range of food and drink-related businesses attend the event, from global hospitality brands and distilleries to farms and food tours.

Scotland Food and Drink attended VisitScotland Connect 2026. Credit: VisitScotland / Connor Mollison

Annadale Distillery

Annandale Distillery in Dumfries & Galloway offers guided tours, tastings and masterclasses, alongside a visitor centre, coffee shop and The Globe Inn in Dumfries, which is closely associated with Robert Burns.

VisitScotland Connect has helped the business build relationships with buyers and reach customers in new markets through tailored travel trade opportunities.

Annandale Distillery, a working whisky distillery in Dumfriesshire. Credit: VisitScotland

VisitScotland Connect is a key part of our wider marketing strategy, and we aim to attend every year.

Across our sites, we simply wouldn't achieve the visitor numbers we see without engaging with the travel trade.

What we've found is that visitors are looking for something they can't get anywhere else and at a price they can't get anywhere else. Having something exclusive really sets you apart.

Zoe Danbury, The Annandale Group

Charleton Farm

Charleton Farm in Angus is a working fruit farm where visitors can pick seasonal produce, enjoy locally sourced food in the café, browse the farm shop, take part in family activities and stay on site.

Currently 10% of their customers are international visitors and it’s part of the business they are looking to grow, believing there is potential to expand and attract visitors from North America, Germany, Italy, and Asia.

For Charleton Farm, sitting across the table from travel trade buyers and hearing directly what customers are looking for, is helping them create new visitor experiences. VisitScotland Connect has helped shape new food offerings, support accommodation plans and strengthen links with the travel trade.

VisitScotland Connect is a must-attend for us because it opens the door to a part of the travel trade we didn't fully understand when we started out. We knew it existed, but we didn't realise just how far-reaching it was.

One of the biggest benefits has been listening to what buyers are actually asking for. Food experiences kept coming up, and that encouraged us to move faster with our barbecue and smokehouse ideas. We've also recognised the demand for more bespoke accommodation locally, which has pushed us to take those projects forward.

Graham McColl and Lisa McColl, Charleton Farm

For more information about working with the travel trade, visit the Business Support Hub

Business Support Hub