Gourmet Tourism - Waterford Harvest Festival Forum

On Sep 13, I attended a forum on the future of Waterford as a Gourmet Tourist destination.  Lead by Donal Lehane of Slow Food Ireland, there was a discussion on the mechanisms for change and the real potential for opportunity in the region.

Myself, some journalists, and representatives from local and national tourist councils perched ourselves among copper exhibits, stucco idioms and hanging vellum, in the Waterford Treasures, scribbling notes.  The following opinions, among others, were expressed.

The Issues
Waterford food is missing a voice.  The farmers, the politicians and the independent thinkers, they’re working like tectonic plates.  They need direction, and it’s not going to surface through abrasion.  Policy is antiquated.  Local authorities are wedded to heritage, and the scrimping needs revision.  For example, parking in the city costs twice the price, putting a sign up for your farm costs €2,500, and you can’t cook a burger without a fridge.

Additionally, Waterford has lost its pride.  Did you know the scallops from the region are among the top three in the world?  But the French fish them and market them for bulk.  And why don’t hotels serve Blaa for breakfast?  It’s all indicative of a downcast position.

The Cure
So what does that mean for Waterford?  It means leadership.  Policy makers, producers and visionaries in communication, under direction, and settled on a common goal. Policy needs to change, producers need to ally, and the end user, joe public, needs the apparatus to help him understand the vision.  That means data, support and marketing.  If I come to Waterford, I need to know where to go, how to get there and what I’ll find when I arrive.

But most of all, people need to cheer up.  If Waterford is a foodie heaven, and I believe it can be, the locals need to be educated.  Waterford needs branding, for tourists and locals.  There has to be pride, or it will seem disingenuous.

What’s next?
Get the image.  Get the backing.  Get the punters.

Why not set up an annual food panel?  Let’s call it Waterfood 2010.  Brand it.  Use it.  Celebrate it.  Show us that Waterford has taste.  It comes down to that old adage, ‘learn to love yourself.’

If the disparate powers of Waterford can isolate a common goal and drive toward it, there's no stopping them.  From my exposure to the dejected mindset, it seems like the project needs more heart, more vision and more funding.  But that's okay.  It's just the beginning.