Irish food 'is secret to boosting tourist trade'

FOOD is the missing ingredient in driving Irish tourism, new research has identified.

Non-governmental group, Good Food Ireland (GFI), has commissioned consultants Grant Thornton to conduct the survey.

GFI says its approved providers contribute around €50m to the Irish economy via their purchasing of Irish produce. The survey found 100pc agreement between members that local Irish food should be an integral part of Ireland's international tourism marketing.

Four out of five support the view that local Irish food is a strong economic driver for their business, with almost 90pc of the opinion that marketing of food tourism is vital for sustaining growth.