Scotland’s reputation as one of the world’s best food and drink tourism destinations has been given a boost by the World Travel Awards, which has selected Johnnie Walker Princes Street as the World’s Leading Spirit Experience.
The brand’s flagship visitor centre, created as part of Diageo’s £185million investment in Scotch whisky experiences, opened its doors on Edinburgh’s Prince’s St in September 2021, quickly establishing itself as one of Scotland’s leading attractions for international and local visitors.
The award from WTA, dubbed the ‘tourism Oscars’, adds to Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s growing trophy cabinet recognising the quality of the experience it offers.
Head of JWPS, Rob Maxwell, said: “Everyone associated with Johnnie Walker Princes Street is enormously proud of this award.
“When we set out to create Johnnie Walker Princes Street, we had the ambition of putting Scotland at the forefront of global food and drink tourism, and this award is recognition that we have made great strides towards that ambition.
“We are now focused on the future and building on this award to make Johnnie Walker, Scotch whisky and Scotland even more successful.”
Chief Executive of VisitScotland, Malcolm Roughead, said: “Congratulations to Johnnie Walker Princes Street. This achievement recognises the investment and time that has been put in by Diageo and the team at Johnnie Walker Princes Street to create a truly world-class visitor experience.
“Research continues to show visitors love to connect with the people and places associated with our iconic food and drink. Whisky has huge international appeal, and this award confirms the important role it plays in the Scottish tourism experience.”
Since opening, JWPS has welcomed over 700,000 visitors, from 131 countries across the world. Immersive story-telling and world-class technological design is said to personalise the flagship tour for each guest, before taking them on ‘an adventure through the 200-year-old history of the world’s best-selling Scotch’, and challenging pre-conceived ideas of how whisky should be enjoyed.
The venue has secured several other international awards this year; Europe’s Leading Spirit Tourism Experience at The World Travel Awards in October; Transform Magazine’s Best Brand Experience in Europe, and Visitor Attraction of the Year as part of Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky programme.
