Gorse flowers in the autumn light on the Iveragh Peninsula. Photo by Calum Sweeney
The Austrian Institute for Regional Studies, in collaboration with Modul University in Vienna are carrying out a study that will result in the proposal of measure to ensure a balanced, acceptable and sustainable tourism model for the Iveragh peninsula.
A group from Austria will run two workshops that aim to provide stakeholders on the Iveragh Peninsula with the tools to assess tourism trends and develop action plans for the long-term and sustainable development of the local tourist industry.
The main purpose of the first workshop is to bring together people who are directly or indirectly involved in, steering or influenced by tourism activities on the Iveragh peninsula. The session will focus on identifying interactions between tourism and the economic, environmental and societal context of Iveragh. The starting point will be to develop, together with the participants, a picture showing the impact of tourism on the destination. This will help to identify challenges and areas of sensitivity. Together with desk research and a second workshop, the process will examine the context, challenges, and needs of tourism on Iveragh and agree on a common understanding of sustainable tourism means in the area. Another outcome of the project will be the adaptation of the ESPON Tourism dashboard to include a specific module for the Iveragh Peninsula.
This initiative is part of the ESPON TOURISM Project, which aims to increase understanding of the carrying capacity for tourism in regions around Europe and how to anticipate and counteract challenges of future tourism development. The LIVE project does not receive funding from ESPON but is supporting this work by acting as a local contact on Iveragh.
If you would like to get involved, please feel free to contact us at live@ucc.ie.
For further information, please see:
Austrian Institute for Regional Studies: www.oir.at/en/about_us
Project outline: www.oir.at/en/node/1758
ESPON TOURISM project: www.espon.eu/tourism