Report of the Sustainable Tourism Working Group welcomed
The report of the Sustainable Tourism Working Group which was endorsed by the Tourism Leadership Group has been welcomed by the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Shane Ross TD and the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin TD.
The Sustainable Tourism Working Group, established under the aegis of the Tourism Leadership Group, has worked to review international policy and best practice in sustainable tourism and has recommended a series of guiding principles for sustainable tourism development in Ireland. The Working Group have now reported to Ministers Ross and Griffin and members of the Tourism Leadership Group with these findings and recommendations.
Speaking after the meeting Minister Ross said: “The tourism industry is one of our major economic sectors in Ireland, with an estimated value of almost €9.4 million in the year 2018 alone. A major challenge facing this sector is to maintain its economic strength while also continuing to adopt sustainable practices. The work undertaken by the Sustainable Tourism Working Group will help to ensure that social, economic and environmental sustainability is central to our tourism offering which ultimately works to maximise the future competitiveness of Ireland as a visitor destination. I would like to thank all the stakeholders and in particular the members of the Tourism Leadership Group, who contributed to this process. I am confident that the outputs of this report, including its level of ambition and supporting guiding principles, will help to sustain the development of the sector into the future.”
Minister Griffin said: “The ultimate goal of sustainable tourism is to strengthen our tourism sector while working to protect the environment, our communities and the long-term viability of the industry itself. I very much welcome the report presented by the Sustainable Tourism Working Group which has proposed a series of sound and workable guiding principles for the development of sustainable tourism in Ireland.”
– The Government’s tourism policy statement, People, Place and Policy: Growing Tourism to 2025, commits to placing tourism as a key element in its economic strategy, with development in the tourism sector reflecting the highest standards of environmental and economic sustainability.
– The policy goals and objectives contained in the policy statement are delivered through a series of Action Plans which are developed and monitored by the Tourism Leadership Group appointed by Government.
– One of the first actions identified within the Tourism Action Plan 2019-2021 commits to a review of sustainable tourism development in Ireland:
o A working group has been established to review international policy and best practice in sustainable tourism and propose guiding principles for sustainable tourism development in Ireland. The Group will report to the Tourism Leadership Group with their recommendations.
– The action was agreed by the Tourism Leadership Group in April 2018 and a working group was formed in August 2018 to carry out this action.
