Local tourism businesses, tourism and community group members, as well as all other interested parties and individuals, are invited by Fáilte Ireland to take part in a series of workshops running from February 11 - 20 across the Three Heads Region taking in the Beara, Sheep’s Head and Mizen peninsulas, as well as Dursey, Bere, Garnish, Whiddy and Long islands.
The workshops will concentrate on pulling together stories, ideas, and opportunities that could be used to boost tourism in the area. The findings from the workshops will feed into a plan - a Visitor Experience Development Plan - which will outline ways to improve the benefits of tourism for all of the communities in the area.
The Visitor Experience Development Plan will ultimately encourage continued growth in visitor numbers, dwell time and spend, helping to extend the tourism season and spread business across all parts of the region. Similar plans have been developed successfully for the Skellig Coast and for the Burren and Cliffs of Moher, as well as for Connemara and the Aran islands.
Miriam Kennedy, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of the Wild Atlantic Way, explained, “Local consultation and input is essential if we are going to produce a plan that works for the visitor and for the local economy. We look forward to welcoming people to our workshops and drop-in sessions to hear the ideas they have to offer, and we would encourage as many interested parties as possible to attend.”
The development of the plan will be assisted by external experts appointed by Fáilte Ireland who will bring the benefit of their international experience to the process. The deliberations will also involve local authorities and the widest possible range of local tourism stakeholders. Everyone with ideas and knowledge to share is welcome to the planned workshops.
Events and dates:
Monday, February 11 - 4-6pm: Grove House, Schull.
Wednesday, February 14 - 4-6pm: The Old Creamery, Kilcrohane.
Thursday 15 February 15 - 7-9pm: Garnish Room, Maritime Hotel, Bantry.
Friday, February 16 - 3-5pm: Eccles Hotel, Glengarriff.
Monday, February 19 - 11am-12pm: Caha Centre, Adrigole;
12:30-1:30pm: Beara Coast Hotel, Castletownbere
7:30-8:30pm: Anam Cara, Eyeries.
Tuesday February 20 - 7-9pm: Brook Lane Hotel, Kenmare.
If you wish to attend any of the workshops, please confirm your attendance by emailing [email protected] or calling 086 303 0991. If you can’t attend a meeting but would like to make a contribution to the discussion, you can phone or submit your ideas at http://wordhoard.ie/three-heads-vedp-ideas
The Visitor Experience Development Plan forms part of a bigger process that is seeking to increase visitor numbers on the Wild Atlantic Way with a particular focus on increasing the time and money they spend in areas that have capacity for growth.
