Cork should aim to be ‘the food capital of Ireland’: Fáilte Ireland reveals major tourism plan

A new tourism plan aims to make Cork the food capital of Ireland, located in a world-class harbour destination.

National tourism development authority Fáilte Ireland has launched a five-year plan which it said will help drive and sustain tourism in Cork.

The Cork City, Harbour and East Cork Destination and Experience Development Plan (DEDP) was launched at Blackrock Castle Observatory yesterday.

Fáilte Ireland said its plan aimed to make Cork a sustainable tourism destination by extending the tourism season and spreading business across all parts of the region over the next five years.

It said the plan provided a framework to prioritise tourism development projects that would attract more visitors to the region and encourage them to stay longer.

This would include the development of what it called “a visitor attraction of scale for Cork city” and enhancing the harbour’s accessibility to create an amenity that will connect communities to the city.

The plan further suggested “leveraging the county’s rich food provenance to position it as a world-class gastronomy destination”.

The English Market, the report said, “remains an iconic experience for locals and visitors alike”, with the city acting as “a shop window to the artisan producers operating across the county”, but Cork as a city and county needed to embrace “the ambition of becoming the food capital of Ireland”.

At the launch, Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly said the plan featured key projects which would transform the tourism offering across the region. “The development of a new attraction of scale, creating a world-class harbour experience, as well as positioning the Cork food story as an inherent part of the visitor offering, will strengthen Cork’s position as an internationally compelling destination in Ireland’s Ancient East.

“Fáilte Ireland is committed to and focused on the sustainable development of tourism across Ireland, which is an important economic driver and source of employment.”

He added that he was confident that the DEDP had the potential to significantly increase the region’s domestic and international appeal as a tourism destination, helping to create sustainable, high-quality jobs.

The Cork City, Harbour, and East Cork DEDP was developed in collaboration with stakeholders including Cork City Council, Cork County Council, the local tourism industry, the Port of Cork, Cork Airport, chambers of commerce, Leader, local economic groups, and local communities.