Page 7 - COBH EDITION 2nd NOVEMBER DIGITAL VERSION

5-year tourism vision and strategy as Cobh Tourism rallies tourism
stakeholders and community together
There’s no strength without unity

Cobh Tourism hosted a Tourism Seminar this week in the Sirius Arts Centre, where key stake-
holders and members of the community heard from experts in tourism and town regeneration.
The event was the first step in Cobh Tourism’s plans to develop a 5-year tourism vision and
strategy for the town that will attract more visitors to Cobh, who will stay longer and contrib-
ute to the future prosperity of the town.
A new emotive tourism video for Cobh, commissioned by Cobh Tourism, was also launched on
the evening and is now live on www.facebook.com/cobh.tourism

Fionnghuala Smith, Chairperson Cobh Tourism, said “Some Irish towns just look pretty, others
have a story to tell but don’t look the part. Some are difficult to get to … and then there is a
town that has it all, according to a recent cruise article… and it’s called Cobh!”
“However, we still have a long way to go to be one of the most successful tourism towns in the
country”. Fionnghuala went on to discuss infrastructure and accommodation requirements, the
threat from Brexit and cruise tourism.
She highlighted the need for townspeople to rally together saying “Cobh and the Great Island
is at a pivotal point in tourism and heritage development. We need full community involve-
ment to deliver on a challenging new agenda, to see where we are and decide where we are
going.”
One of the key out-takes from the evening is that there is no strength without unity. The key-
note speaker on the evening was Simon Wall from Mayo County Council, whom Cobh Tourism
are currently collaborating with. He gave insights into how a small rural Irish town reinvented
itself over two decades, to become an important national tourist destination.
Other speakers on the evening included Hilary Creedon from Fáilte Ireland on amplifying
Cobh’s position on Ireland’s Ancient East, Seamus Heaney from Visit Cork on supports from
Pure Cork and Cork Convention Bureau, Captain Michael McCarthy, cruise consultant with Port
of Cork, on attracting and retaining cruise business, Derry Cronin from Special Ireland and Joe
Burke from the Local Enterprise Office on supports for tourism related businesses.
Cobh Tourism will now consult with those who attended the event, before developing a 5-year
tourism vision and strategy for the town.
www.visitcobh.com #CobhTourismForward