Thomas Gould
Ceist:48. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for an update on the Cork city tourism plan and its implementation. [12462/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 19 February 2026
Ceisteanna (48)
Freagraí scríofa
Regional tourism promotion is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland, in collaboration with Local Authorities and other tourism stakeholders. Fáilte Ireland continues to work closely with stakeholders to develop and promote the region. Cork is uniquely positioned in that it is represented by three of Fáilte Ireland’s Regional Brands — the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands. Cork City is represented by Ireland’s Ancient East.
A central element of this work is the delivery of Destination Experience Development Plans (DEDPs). These are five-year sustainable tourism development plans which bring together public and private sector stakeholders to prioritise tourism projects and maximise their chances of success. The DEDPs are highly collaborative in nature, with agreed action plans assigning ownership across the relevant organisations.
The "Cork City, Harbour and East Cork" DEDP provides a five-year framework to guide tourism development, supported by stakeholder and implementation groups. The group meets approximately four times a year to review progress and to assist with decision making in relation to the actions and progress of the DEDP. This framework guides tourism development, supported by stakeholder and implementation groups.
For example, Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Cork City Council, published a tender in 2025 inviting suppliers to support the development of concepts for a potential new visitor attraction in Cork City. The tender is aimed at suppliers with expertise in visitor attraction planning, feasibility analysis, business modelling, and site appraisal. The appointed consultant(s) will develop outline plans and feasibility studies for three shortlisted concepts which have been selected for further development and appraisal:
• Rejuvenated and Reimagined English Market
• National Science Museum
• Indoor Wellness and Waterpark Destination
As this project is in the early concept development stage, Fáilte Ireland has not committed any capital investment funding at this time. Subsequently, if a decision is taken to proceed further with one or more of these Visitor Attraction concepts, a Preliminary Business Case will be developed by Fáilte Ireland in line with Government Infrastructure Guidelines. If none of the above listed concepts meet the required criteria to progress to the next stage, Fáilte Ireland and Cork City Council will seek to identify further concepts for an attraction of scale in Cork.
Fáilte Ireland has also committed to establishing a Cork City Visitor Attraction and Activity Providers Network. This development will be underpinned through the delivery of a two-year roadmap to establish the Network while also laying the foundations for long-term, sustainable collaboration.
Finally, my Department published the new National Tourism Policy Statement, A New Era for Irish Tourism, in December 2025. This policy provides an overview of the Government’s long-term approach to tourism development to 2031 and sets out a clear framework to support a competitive, sustainable and regionally balanced tourism sector.