[ Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028, Section 15(2) Two-Year Progress Report ]
[OBJECTIVE 7.25] SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Cork City Council, in collaboration with key stakeholders, continues its focus on delivering a range of tourism projects to support the expansion of the City’s tourism offer:
• In December 2023 Cork City Council celebrated completion of “Island City – Cork’s Outdoor Urban Sculpture Trail” . This unique contemporary sculpture trail developed by Cork City Council comprises 5 public artworks installed throughout the city centre island. Funded by Fáilte Ireland the trail animates the city island, helping to transform and re-imagine the public spaces as safe, welcoming and vibrant places to visit, encouraging visitors to stay longer, spend more and immerse themselves in Cork’s strong heritage and culture. • The “ Cork on a Fork Festival” is a new Cork City Council initiative, piloted in 2022, which by 2023 had already established itself as a major event in Cork’s festival calendar, helping to strengthen Cork’s appeal to domestic and overseas visitors as a food destination. • Construction of a new outdoor stage at Elizabeth Fort to enable it to be used as a venue for cultural and community events and performances. • During 2021 and 2022 five Cork City centre streets were transformed into bespoke outdoor dining destinations following the installation of Fáilte Ireland-funded infrastructure that will further enhance the city’s outdoor dining experience while incorporating the unique personality of each street. • Work is advanced on the installation of a new city wayfinding scheme . New signage and mapping in key locations will highlight the compact nature and walkability of the city, encouraging visitors to develop itineraries, explore what the city has to offer and increase dwell time. • Cork City Council manages several arts and cultural programmes with partners that have tourism benefits, including the St Patrick’s Festival, Culture Night and the GLOW festival in the City Centre. In relation to tourism and the environment, Cork City was one of 6 cities shortlisted in 2023 by the European Commission for the European Smart Tourism Award. Sustainability is one of the key criteria used in the shortlisting, and the report noted several sustainability initiatives Cork City’s expanding cycling infrastructure, which aims to deliver over 100 km of upgraded cycle facilities by 2025, the Cork City bike share scheme and the comprehensive Cork Cycle Map, which contribute to a range of environmentally friendly transportation alternatives.
[OBJECTIVE 7.26] VISITOR ACCOMMODATION
A number of high-profile accommodation types have been permitted and are operational since the adoption of the Plan. These include a newly opened 206-bed hotel on Morrisons Island and the ongoing development of a €50 million 206-bed hotel on Camden Quay. Conditional permission was granted for a 103-bed apart-hotel on South Terrace, a 357 sqm boutique hotel on Drawbridge Street and a 165-bed hotel on Jacobs Island, Mahon as part of a larger mixed use scheme.
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