5 Nov 2024
New 5-year tourism development plan launched for Cork City, Harbour and East Cork
Fáilte Ireland has launched a new five-year tourism development plan for Cork that will help drive and sustain tourism in Cork City, Harbour and East Cork.
The Cork City, Harbour and East Cork Destination and Experience Development Plan (DEDP) aims to create a sustainable tourism destination by extending the tourism season and spreading business across all parts of the region over the next five years.
Key stakeholders in the area were consulted and contributed to the plan. These include Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Port of Cork, Cork Airport, Chambers of Commerce and Local Community Groups.
The development of the five-year plan provides a shared vision and clear direction towards improved development. It strengths the promotion of the area’s unique features by growing the destination’s market share through the delivery of priority projects and hero experiences that seek to maximise the key strengths of the area.
Visitor attraction of scale for Cork Docklands
The plan provides the strategic framework to prioritise tourism development projects that will attract more visitors to the region and encourage them to stay longer. This includes the development of a visitor attraction of scale for Cork City. This would enhance the harbour’s accessibility to create a sustainable visitor amenity that connects communities to the City. It also suggests leveraging the county’s rich food provenance to position it as a world-class gastronomy destination.
Key projects outlined in the new 5-year tourism development plan for Cork include:
- the development of new tourism trails linking land, water and cultural experiences. These would use existing or new greenways and blueways, running from Ballincollig in the west to Midleton in the east;
- the development of a more cohesive harbour islands experience. This would focus on Fota Island, Spike Island, Great Island and Haulbowline, achieved by linking the islands, water access hubs and developing the local experiences through investment in active travel and marine tourism activities;
- the creation of five city centre cultural districts. These include the Crawford Gallery, the city centre library, the docklands, St Fin Barre’s, Shandon and the VQ;
- the development of the Midleton to Youghal Greenway. This has the capacity to transform the trail head towns on the route contributing to economic development;
- the positioning of Cork as the Food Capital of Ireland, through the development of food and agri-tourism experiences. These would link the region’s markets and restaurants with their food sources, as well as the creation of an evening cultural and market offering.
“This five-year Destination and Experience Development Plan captures the unique themes that are central to Cork City, Harbour and East Cork and features key priority projects which will transform the tourism offering across the region. The development of a new Attraction of Scale, creating a World Class Harbour Experience as well as positioning the Cork Food Story as an inherent part of the visitor offering will strengthen Cork’s position as an internationally compelling destination in Ireland’s Ancient East.
Fáilte Ireland is committed to and focused on the sustainable development of tourism across Ireland which is an important economic driver and source of employment. We are confident that this DEDP has the potential to significantly increase Cork City, Harbour and East Cork’s domestic and international appeal, and grow the visitor economy to create sustainable, high-quality jobs in the sector that will serve to support and strengthen local communities.”
CEO of Fáilte Ireland, Paul Kelly
The new 5-year tourism development plan for Cork City, Harbour and East Cork has been developed through a collaborative approach and will be dependent on local tourism businesses, stakeholders and local communities working with Fáilte Ireland to implement this plan over next five years.
Read the full Cork City, Harbour and East Cork Destination and Experience Development Plan here Failte Ireland – Cork City, Harbour and East Cork Destination and Experience Development Plan.
“This plan sets out the actions, priorities and future investment for the area, by focusing on increasing the value of tourism, growing the appeal of the destination and increasing visitor spend,” said Aileen Murray and Derry Cronin, Cork City, Harbour and East Cork DEDP co-chairs. “The actions within this plan will ultimately strengthen the local communities living in these areas.”
To find out more about Living, Working, Studying, Investing and Visiting Cork visit WeareCork.ie.