€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.

“People often ask me what the legacy of The Gathering should be,” said Mr Ring. “I believe The Gathering has brought communities together, near and far.

“Today’s initiative means we can support that legacy and build on the new relationships, and the many new projects that came out of 2013.”

Fáilte Ireland director Paul Keeley said there clearly was an appetite to continue many of the Gathering community events which sprang up last year.

Local authorities throughout the country will now seek to identify those local events with the best potential to be successfully repeated and to support them in their efforts to develop long-lasting diaspora connections.

It is estimated that there are possibly 500-700 viable community events which could be supported in this way.

Representing the County and City Managers Association, Mayo county manager Peter Hynes said: “Local authorities are delighted to be partnered with Irish Public Bodies and with the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport in delivering this innovative and exciting initiative.

“Pride in place and pride in community is at the heart of what we do in local government, and reaching out to and re-connecting with our diaspora is a very important part of our work with our communities.

“The Gathering demonstrated the phenomenal potential in this area and today’s launch will maintain the momentum and keep the process moving forward.”

The tourism initiative is a public/private partnership, with one third of the funding being provided by IPB Insurance as part of its Corporate Social Engagement strategy where the Irish diaspora is a nominated priority.

IPB Insurance CEO Ronan Foley said: “Last year, an estimated 7% uplift in tourism numbers injected somewhere between €170m-€220m into the Irish economy.

“These results are remarkable,” he said.

“What is even more heartening is that tourism figures in the first quarter of this year are ahead of last year, suggesting that not only was the Gathering a success, it continues to grow in momentum.”