The Bridges of Ross at Loop Head Peninsula in County Clare. Credit Brian Morrison.
CO CLARE has jumped ten places in a ranking of global destinations that have demonstrated a commitment to sustainable tourism.
The Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Movement has unveiled its 2024 Top 40 Destinations Index which sees Co Clare rise from 38th to 28th in a list that also includes Sydney, Singapore, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Melbourne, Montreal and Reykjavik.
Clare’s inclusion in the Index is supported by the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and Fáilte Ireland.
Councillor Alan O’Callaghan (FF) Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council commented, “The Clare tourism sector receives fantastic support from the local authority and other tourism development agencies. Operators within the sector have played a leading role in helping to create the globally renowned, sustainable and vibrant destination we know today. Clare’s performance in the GDS Top 40 Destinations Index is evidence of the sector’s commitment to collaboration and to sustainable practices”.
Karen Ronan, General Manager of the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau said it was an achievement for Clare to retain its position in the top forty and a further boost to increase its ranking by ten places. “The GDS Index evaluates destinations worldwide based on their environmental, social and economic sustainability efforts, and is a vital tool in helping us drive sustainability improvements across our destinations”.
Sam Johnston, Manager, Convention Bureaux of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland commented, “County Clare’s inclusion in the GDS Index aligns with Fáilte Ireland’s important focus to drive positive development around climate action in our industry. This, in turn, strengthens the sustainability credentials of Ireland’s business events sector. Our extensive range of supports and initiatives are helping tourism businesses reduce their carbon footprint and meet the growing demand for sustainable tourism solutions”.
In the auditing process recently supervised by the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, Clare was assessed in four key areas, environmental performance, social progress performance, supplier performance and destination management performance.
Environmental Performance focuses on a destination’s performance pertaining to its policies and infrastructure, such as climate change commitment, carbon emissions, renewable energies, resource and water management, public transport, and air pollution levels.
Social Progress Performance indicates the performance of a destination against indicators of SDG integration, Corruption, Personal Safety, Access to Information and Communications, Health and Wellness, and Inclusivity, using external sources such as the Social Progress Imperative Index, and Corruption Perceptions Index.
Supplier Performance addresses the sustainability commitment and performance of the local meetings’ industry supply chain, including airports, events agencies, hotels, venues, and restaurants.
Destination Management Performance indicates the sustainability commitment of the Convention Bureau, including questions pertaining to maturity of a destination’s sustainability and regeneration strategy, leadership, communication of sustainability initiatives (to support client planners), and the accuracy of their reporting on sustainability operations.
