[ Cork City Council - Annual Report 2020 ]
Elizabeth Fort The steady rise in visitor numbers to Elizabeth Fort, almost 70,000 in 2019, was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with just 11,500 visitors in 2020. Elizabeth Fort reopened to visitors in the summer, following intensive work to ensure safe reopening for staff and visitors. This included securing the Failte Ireland Covid-19 Charter, and installation of a new stairway, path and gate to the rear of the fort which enables visitors to complete a circular walk of the fort’s walls. Other successful grant applications in 2020 enabled further improvement works to be carried out at the Fort. Including roof and dormer repairs to the former Garda barracks, a new external sign for the Fort and a new outdoor seating area for visitors. Visitor Wayfinding Grant Aid totalling ¤1.2 million was secured from Failte Ireland and the NTA in 2020 to support a new visitor information and wayfinding scheme in Cork City. This will include the removal of existing redundant signage, development of a bespoke digital Cork city map, interpretative content and signage which is unique to Cork. A multidisciplinary team was appointed in late 2020 and the project will be delivered in 2021/22.
and enabled the development of self-guided audio tours as well as free guided tours led by the artists during December.
Cork ranked 2nd in Irish destinations Cork ranked 18th of 42 total destinations
Global Destination Sustainability Index 2020 Cork is also participating in the Destination Sustainability Movement. It is ranked second in Irish destinations and 18th out of forty-two total destinations. Old Cork Waterworks The Old Cork Waterworks is a multi-award winning visitor attraction located in the tastefully restored Victorian waterworks overlooking the River Lee. Exploring the stories of Cork’s industrial heritage over three centuries, it would normally attract 10,000 visitors. In response to Covid-19, the team at Old Cork Waterworks Experience have adapted and restructured operations implementing Fáilte Ireland’s Covid-19 Safety Charter ensuring a high, and safe, standard of service delivery to the public.
Joint Working with Cork City Attractions and Failte Ireland
The challenges posed by Covid-19 prompted enhanced cooperation across all the tourism stakeholders. The Tourism section facilitated collaboration between all the visitor attractions in Cork City (and Failte Ireland and Visit Cork) with a view to sharing information, and expertise, and identifying supports needed to facilitate their safe reopening. Working with the attractions a number of other collaborative marketing activities were rolled out – reopening publicity, cross selling visitor discount scheme and a Rediscover Cork safely social media campaign. Funding support from Failte Ireland’s Ignite Programme in Winter 2020 sought to enhance visitor numbers to Cork City in December (subject to government guidelines). This funding leveraged the successful Ardú street art initiative
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