Food NI are delighted to announce that three areas in Northern Ireland have been nominated as Top 10 Finalist in the 2018 Foodie Destinations.

Congratulations to Armagh Heartland of Food, Mid & East Antrim and Derry for being shortlisted.

ONLINE VOTING IS NOW OPEN for the Foodie Destinations 2018.

To vote for Armagh Heartland of Food please click on the link below:

http://www.foodiedestinations.ie/city/armagh/

To vote for Mid & East Antrim please click on the link below:

http://www.foodiedestinations.ie/city/mid-east-antrim-borough/

To vote for Derry please click on the link below:

http://www.foodiedestinations.ie/city/derry/

The Foodie Destinations 2018 winner will be a destination or town that actively promotes itself through joint promotional activities such as food festivals, gourmet trails or farmers’ markets as well as great dining experiences. The winning Irish destination will have established a local producer/supplier network which is utilised and promoted by local businesses. Plans for future growth and investment into the food and hospitality industry at a local level will also be taken into consideration by judges. Education, training, development and employment will be key components of the ultimate foodie destination.

For more information please visit:

www.foodiedestinations.ie.

The Food NI driven Year of Food and Drink in 2016 has been shortlisted for the Best Food Destination category in the prestigious International Travel and Tourism Awards.

The Year of Food and Drink campaign, the first to be held in Northern Ireland, is among just four regions shortlisted for the important award.

Michele Shirlow, Food NI chief executive, said: “It’s a tremendous achievement to be shortlisted in this global competition. Our year-long focus on food and drink has gained recognition for Northern Ireland as a destination for great food and drink, an important aspect of tourism.

“Our Year of Food and Drink was a hugely successful initiative which was supported by public and private sector bodies and united the wider community in showcasing the quality, innovation and variety of food and drink processors and the hospitality sector.”

More than 70 nominations were lodged for all 13 categories in the awards which celebrates the very best of travel and tourism on a global scale, recognising the outstanding successes of destinations, tourist boards, private sector companies and individuals.

The winners will be announced to an audience of more than 500 leading industry figures – including government ministers – during a prestigious awards ceremony at London’s Grade I-listed Tobacco Dock not far from WTM London’s ExCeL venue on November 6

A distinguished panel of independent judges assessed the first tranche of categories and the contenders. Paul Nelson, International Travel & Tourism Awards co-founder, said: “We have been delighted with both the volume and quality of the entries for the International Travel & Tourism Awards.

“Entries were submitted from countries right across the world – from destinations as diverse as Toronto, Zagreb, Jordan and Northern Ireland – and they demonstrate how tourism is playing a vital role in the economies of different cities and regions.

“Our judges have been greatly impressed by the exceptional quality of entries, and those who are on the shortlist know they have reached a very high standard – they will be among the best in the world.”

The International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM London, is unique event that recognises the success of national, regional and city tourist boards as well as outstanding private sector companies and individuals.

The awards feature 13 categories, with twelve judged by an independent panel of leading experts and senior figures in each sector. The final award for outstanding contribution to the industry nominated by WTM London Media Partners will be the ultimate finale to these show-stopping awards, which will take place at a glittering awards ceremony in London.

NI Water has announced that it intends to lift the Northern Ireland wide hosepipe ban which has been in force since 29 June 2018. The lifting of the ban will take effect from noon tomorrow, Thursday 19 July 2018.

Sara Venning, CEO of NI Water, said, “Thanks to the fantastic response from the public to our appeals to conserve water we have seen demand for water decrease from three quarters of a billion litres per day, (some 30% above average) to near normal levels.

“This means our water treatment works, which were struggling to meet this exceptional demand with large scale water supply interruptions imminent, are now coping comfortably with demand. This allows us to lift the hosepipe ban from noon tomorrow.

“We would stress, however, that a continued focus on water conservation is essential. Ideally we would like to see demand reduced still further or at least maintained at its present level to avoid the prospect of the ban having to be reintroduced. This is achievable if we continue to use water wisely.

“Many customers have adopted new habits and ways to conserve water in everyday life and we hope they will continue with these changes in their daily lives.  Our top ten tips on how to save water are available on the NI Water website.

Raw Water Storage Levels

“While we can all take steps to control our demand, the supply of raw water depends on rainfall.  The levels of raw water storage in our impounding reservoirs are being closely monitored.

“Recent rainfall has been a welcome development and while it has certainly helped our farmers and gardeners, the amount of rain has not been sufficient to have a positive impact on levels in many of our impounding reservoirs. These levels have not yet reached the point which would trigger the need for the imposition of restrictions including a hosepipe ban and does not represent a threat to water supplies in the short term. A continued period without rain will see reservoir levels fall further and may result in the need for additional restrictions.

“Similar to other water companies, NI Water is already taking precautionary measures to protect those reservoirs which are most at risk. These measures include reducing demand on them by reducing the area they supply and bringing in water from other, more plentiful water sources.

“As always, the continuous provision of clean, safe drinking water to all our customers remains our primary objective.  By working together to reduce demand, we will preserve the water in our impounding reservoirs and mitigate the prospect of renewed restrictions having to be imposed until our reservoirs are recharged by the return of normal rainfall levels.”