The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival events hosted over 20,000 visitors last year with almost nine in ten of those reporting high levels of satisfaction with the annual event.
The festival revealed details of an independent economic report into the 2014 event, which found that a global audience from 31 countries including USA, Russia and Canada attended the event, with 27,227 visits to events taking place over the five days from May 1 to 5.
An on-the-ground survey found overall satisfaction levels of the visitor experience to be ‘very good’ with 87% giving this response in relation to the festival itself – a figure up 11% on the previous year.
The festival, which this year will celebrate its 16th year, last week picked up the award for the best traditional event at the Scottish Event Awards.
Chairman of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, James Campbell, says “We are truly honoured to have picked up this award as it is a fantastic endorsement of the quality of the event, and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make this one of the best whisky festivals anywhere in the world.
“This award has given us even more determination to raise the bar even higher on the standard of festival events, and to provide a first rate visitor experience for our guests whether they come from the local area or the other side of the world.”
The 2015 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival – and its traditional musical arm the Spirit of Speyside Sessions – takes place from April 30 to May 4, 2015.