Background:
South Dublin is one of three regions in the Greater Dublin Metropolitan Area. In 2012, following Dublin City’s loss of market share to other European cities, TDI was appointed by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation to prepare a report ‘Capitalizing on Dublin’s Potential’. TDI concluded that over the period of the previous decade, Dublin had not sufficiently differentiated itself as a tourism destination. To this end, TDI recommended that Dublin should seek to broaden its appeal by offering visitors the opportunity to sample activities and cultural experiences in areas adjacent to Dublin- City +.
This market positioning was subsequently adopted by the Irish Tourist Board and key tourism stakeholders in the Dublin region in the Grow Dublin Taskforce report. In September 2014, South Dublin County Council appointed TDI to prepare a new Tourism Strategy for the South Dublin Area with the specific objective ensuring that the area was properly ‘positioned’ to take advantage of the new marketing campaigns for DUBLIN.
Project Objectives:
The overall objective of the strategy was to identify actionable recommendations to guide and stimulate tourism development and investment in South Dublin.
Project Activities:
- Assessment of existing product offer (Heritage and cultural assets, natural resources, business and conference facilities)
- Examination of planning and policy context
- Consultation with public, private and community stakeholders
- Evaluation od current marketing approach and activities
- Case studies/best practice review
- Vision/Strategic options assessment
- Market positioning
- Tourism product development (flagship project and tourism clusters)
- Visitor and revenue projections
- Overview of funding sources
- Implementation framework and action plan
- Client presentation and stakeholder workshop
Project Outcomes and Impacts:
They key recommendations from the South Dublin Tourism Strategy are now being implemented by South Dublin County Council. This includes the flagship project - Dublin Mountains Visitor Centre Project which is now at the planning stage.
Links:
South Dublin Tourism Strategy