Tourism Towns Award initiative to begin next week

AN INITIATIVE aimed at promoting tourism around the country will begin next week.

Fáilte Ireland is to write to the top 100 of last year’s Tidy Town competition winners and invite them to take part in the inaugural Tourism Towns Award.

The award will encourage towns and villages to enhance the experience of people who visit their local area and will reward areas that have capitalised on their “tidy towns success”.

Among those towns which will be invited are last year’s top three – Killarney, Co Kerry, Westport, Co Mayo, and Emly, Co Tipperary.

The award will be an additional category to the Tidy Towns Competition, which has been in existence since 1958. Ten areas that make the shortlist for the award will receive €1,000 each.

Judges will assess how the town has told its story to visitors. They will also examine how the local community works together to provide an “authentic visitor experience” as well as what the town has to offer to visitors and its approach to marketing.

Kevin Kidney, from the destination development section of Fáilte Ireland said a strong tourism sector could contribute greatly to the economic viability of a local area

Other Fáilte Ireland initiatives under way include a study into the establishment of a Diaspora Centre in Ireland. A group, chaired by broadcaster John Bowman, has been set up to guide the study.

It will develop terms of reference for the study which is due to get under way in May. Once this is completed, the group will also be involved in guiding the implementation of the study.

Aidan Pender, director of strategic development at Fáilte Ireland, said finding the right way to make the connection with the 71 million who make up the Irish diaspora was crucial.