The Approach

Taste Wexford was built as a community-led model for food tourism development.

Working with O’Connell Marketing, Wexford County Council and partners across the region, the approach prioritised collaboration over competition and quality and consistency over scale, establishing a shared standard across the community.

The work combined strategy writing, stakeholder engagement, mentoring, cross-county collaboration, programme development, events, training, and destination storytelling to build a stronger, more connected tourism ecosystem.

Rather than imposing a fixed model, the approach remained iterative and responsive - allowing the community to grow organically while maintaining clear values and direction.

The Outcome

Taste Wexford established itself as one of Ireland's leading examples of food-led destination development – connecting producers, chefs, cafés, restaurants, tour guides and heritage sites through a shared visitor offer.

The initiative delivered:

• collaborative food tourism experiences and trails

• training and knowledge-sharing for local businesses

• relationships with other food tourism communities

• improved quality and confidence across the sector

• stronger relationships between tourism, food, craft and heritage

• a shared language around place, story and standards

Taste Wexford demonstrated how a food tourism strategy can be translated into practice - and how local communities can be empowered to shape tourism on their own terms.

Taste Wexford is not just a project. It became a movement, a community and a recognised destination brand.

Check out the full project at tastewexford.ie