A survey has concluded that the Food and Drink Festival was worth £225,000 to the Manx economy.

Sixty local exhibitors and about 8,000 people went to the Villa Marina Gardens during the two-day event in September.

An exhibitor and visitor research report about the festival was compiled by The Marketing Partnership, based on North Quay, Douglas.

So, how does it come up with the figure?

It says the average spend per person was £41.

The number of adults who went to the festival this year was estimated to be 5,488.

That gave the partnership ’asuggested economic value of £225,000’.

Government communications staff says that that figure does not take into account the multiplier effect, which they say means that every £1 spent locally on Manx food is worth £1.83 to the Manx economy.

Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ’The event continues to represent an important opportunity for exhibitors to raise their profile as they contribute to the objectives of the "food matters" strategy to grow the value of our Isle of Man food and drink sector, that is now worth over £100 million to the economy.

’The report, commissioned to explore the economic impact of the festival, gives a firm indication of the desire to sample and purchase local foods during the showcase event, which in turn builds on the reputation and reach of our island’s products.’

The research shows that three quarters of visitors continue to see the festival as an opportunity to buy local food to take home and to sample products.

Having attended this year, 94% of visitors agreed that they were more likely to visit the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival in future years.

For the third year, producers were encouraged to display the Isle of Man Provenance label, introduced in 2017 to indicate produce that is grown, reared, caught and processed in the Isle of Man , or contains mostly Manx ingredients.

The report shows that 83% of visitors stated they felt it was important for the island’s food products to display the Isle of Man Provenance label, with 99% agreeing that the quality of local produce is good and 92% feeling that products were good value for money.

The festival has been running for 11 years.