Tourism Plan for Cork
Fáilte Ireland has launched a new five-year plan 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 including Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Local Tourism Industry, Port of Cork, Cork Airport, Chambers of Commerce, leader and local economic groups as well as local communities.
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 and enhancing 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.
Speaking at the launch, Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, said:
“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.”
The Cork City, Harbour and East Cork Development Plan 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 the next five years.