€3m community tourism plan to build on Gathering

A community tourism plan to build on the legacy of last year’s Gathering has been launched by the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring.

The initiative — a partnership between Fáilte Ireland, IPB Insurance, and the 34 local authorities — will provide an annual fund of €1m over the next three years to support up to 700 local community-based events and festivals each year.

Launching the Community Tourism Diaspora Initiative, Mr Ring said the reason the Gathering worked so well was because of the passion and drive of thousands of volunteers and communities.