Ireland’s national maritime SeaFest attracted 101,113 visitors to Galway Harbour on 30 June and 1 -2 July, generating €6.3 million for the city. The figures, just released show a phenomenal 68% growth in attendance in just one year. Last year SeaFest saw 60,000 visitors attend the festival in Galway, and in 2015, its inaugural year, it netted 10,000 visitors.
During the festival, a promotional video of Galway, West of Ireland, European Region of Gastronomy 2018 was released as part of their campaign to attract a wider audience to their social media platforms and especially, to engage the community with a brief footage of the work line upon which the region will work in 2018, in order to raise awareness about the European Region of Gastronomy project and how a good gastronomy plan will be one of the key factors that will help the local community to reach a sustainable development of the region.
Galway, West of Ireland will celebrate its year as European Region of Gastronomy in 2018 along with Noord-Brabant, from the Netherlands, providing with the other regions of the European Region of Gastronomy Platform, cross – marketing opportunities and longer-term benefits.
The European Region of Gastronomy Platform and Award aim to contribute to better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability and stimulating gastronomic innovation. Candidate regions are invited to join a knowledge-exchange platform of European regions in order to further cross-border collaborations and develop shared initiatives.
About IGCAT
IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism) is a non-profit organisation established in 2012 working in the fields of gastronomy, culture, arts and tourism. Through its worldwide network of experts, IGCAT aims to empower local communities by guiding, facilitating, and supporting local leaders in cities, regions and cultural projects to understand the potential of their distinct food, culture, arts and sustainable tourism assets.
IGCAT is furthermore the official secretariat for the Region of Gastronomy Platform and provides the European Region of Gastronomy Award, the European Young Chef Award and the Innovative Food Souvenir Award.
4 July 2017
