By Barry Coughlan
Clare is officially one of the most sustainable destinations in the world after breaking into the Top 40 of the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index.
Clare’s standing at number 38 in the world’s leading sustainability benchmarking and performance improvement program for destinations means the Banner County is now in illustrious company alongside Paris, Singapore, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Berlin and Helsinki.
The Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau, with input and support from Clare County Council, the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark, the Burren Ecotourism Network, Fáilte Ireland and the local tourism trade, facilitated an intensive audit of Clare in which the county was assessed under 69 separate indicators across four key areas.
It brought a delighted reaction from different areas of local society, with Clare County Council chairman Cllr Joe Cooney leading the way.
“Fantastic work is being undertaken by local agencies and the tourism trade on an individual and collective level to further improve the sustainability strategy and performance of County Clare as a tourism and events destination.
“I hope Clare’s inclusion in the Top 40 list will inspire and engage the tourism sector to explore new ways of becoming a more regenerative, flourishing, and resilient place to visit, meet, and live in. This is already a key focus of Clare County Council working with key stakeholders to implement the key objectives of Clare Tourism Strategy 2030.”
Karen Ronan, General Manager of the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau said: “This is a huge achievement for County Clare and is testament to the huge amount of work ongoing in the county as evidenced by the recent establishment, through the implementation of the Clare Tourism Strategy 2030, of a Green Team to reinforce the validity of Clare’s commitment in transitioning to becoming more sustainable.
“Our GDS lead Danielle Devaney, heads a Bureau committed to building on Clare’s existing credentials to further support the Shannon Region in achieving its sustainable objectives.”
Added Ms. Ronan: “Our goal is to further improve awareness and drive the adoption of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in the business tourism and events sector of the wider region.”
Sam Johnston, Manager, Convention Bureau of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland said: “Established to help destinations, convention bureaus and event planners drive the adoption and recognition of sustainable practices in their regions, the GDS Index is an invaluable measuring tool and a world leading benchmark that celebrates and promotes global leaders in sustainable tourism practices. I wish to congratulate the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and County Clare on its inclusion in this prestigious list of top 40 performing sustainable destinations, alongside Galway, Cork and Kerry.”
In the auditing process recently supervised by the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, Clare was assessed in four key areas.
Environmental Performance: This focuses on a destination’s performance pertaining to its policies and infrastructure, such as climate change commitment, carbon emissions, renewable energies, resource and water management, public transport, and air pollution levels.
Social Progress Performance: This indicates the performance of a destination against indicators of SDG integration, corruption, personal safety, access to information and communications, health, wellness, and inclusivity, using external sources such as the Social Progress Imperative Index, and Corruption Perceptions Index.
Supplier Performance: This addresses the sustainability commitment and performance of the local meetings’ industry supply chain, including airports, events agencies, hotels, venues, and restaurants.
Destination Management Performance: This indicates the sustainability commitment of the Convention Bureau, including questions pertaining to maturity of a destination’s sustainability and regeneration strategy, leadership, communication of sustainability initiatives (to support client planners), and the accuracy of their reporting on sustainability operations.
Visit www.gds.earth for more.
For those visiting Ireland this Fall, Birr Castle is on the wish-list of a growing number of potential tourists.
The evenings have closed in, the light has dimmed and the plants and flower offerings are not quite what they used to be in high summer.
Nevertheless, it has an abundance of rare plants, collected by the Earls of Rosse on their travels around the world over the last 150 years.
As such, there are plenty of natural delights awaiting the visitor and artists, photographers and nature lovers are regularly inspired by the golden colors.
Covering three miles is the magnificent Red Tree Trail which includes 65 Trees of distinction. The Trail is included in general admission ticket prices, available on www.birrcastle.com.
For those with a little less time, the X-trails Solar Trail, drawing on the historical heritage of Birr Castle Demesne, allows visitors to experience the size, distance and scale of our Solar System along a one mile route.
Forest bathing remains a popular draw for many visiting the Demesne, where a fallen tree near the fernery, with sunlight coming through the branches, birdsong and flowing water sounds in the background awaits you.
At Birr during autumn one can try your hand at the Japanese spiritual practice of shinrin-yoku or Forest Bathing, which literally means taking in the forest through our senses.
Birr Castle Demesne is situated in the heritage town of Birr, known for its Georgian architecture, and easily accessible from all over Ireland.
Coming up to Halloween, there’s lots to do countrywide, and the traditional Samhain celebration in Ireland also takes place in the 800-year-old Hook Lighthouse on October 29 and 30 with lantern-led tours on offer throughout the evenings.
There will also be a Halloween Fancy dress competition with prizes awarded to individuals and families, plus a “scary” Treasure Quest and a chance to book a Pumpkin Painting workshop.
The word on the waves lapping the shores of the ancient tower is that visitors will venture into the black and ascend the 115 steps of the 800-year-old tower for a night time view of the graveyard of 1,000 ships.
These tours are suitable for brave adults and braver kids (over 12 only – children must be accompanied by an adult) but are not for anyone of a nervous disposition.
Pre-booking is essential at $11 per person online at www.hookheritage.ie.