Photo: Michael Hussey (YoughalOnline.com)

European Destinations of Excellence – Tourism & Local Intangible Heritage Competition 2008

Result & Report

European Destinations Of Excellence Participants At The Mall Arts Centre

Youghal was pipped to the post in the recent European Destinations of Excellence – Tourism & Intangible Heritage Competition 2008 by the eventual winners, Carlingford & The Cooley Peninsula, Co. Louth.

Following an intensive evaluation process of the top 5 destinations by an expert panel of adjudicators, the Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group (the applicant on behalf of Youghal) were highly recommended by the panel for their levels of commitment in developing Youghal and their presentation of the destination.

The evaluation panel made the following comments and recommendations:

* This is a very impressive group and destination. The group has the capacity to use their experience and to move Youghal forward in the future.
* To ensure their position in the top five destinations, Youghal submitted an excellent application. It was well presented and concise with plenty of relevant information and good visuals.
* The heritage regeneration and socio-economic plan is excellent and could be a best practice model for similar destinations
* Progress on action plans to date has been very good; in particular, work on living culture is evident and plans in place will ensure sustainability.
* Priority should be given to developing core products (i.e. walking, cycling, etc.) for the target market.
* There is a wealth of resources in Youghal but more development of these is needed to make them accessible to the visitor
* The target market for Youghal should be segmented and focused packages developed. Consideration should be given to developing packages outside of the main tourist season.
* A good comprehensive presentation was provided by a very professional group with good representation and partnership in place.

Commenting on the report, Tourism Development Officer for Youghal, Aileen Ahern said:
“While it was disappointing to have missed out on the overall prize, the application and evaluation process show just how much Youghal has developed as a tourist destination. It was a great achievement to get into the top 5 out of all the entries made. We know we still have a lot of hard work ahead, but with various initiatives such as the upcoming European Beach Challenge and a tourism marketing plan for the town underway, the future is looking a lot brighter for tourism in the town.”

Issued by:
Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group
Tel: 024 93905
Contact: Aileen Ahern
Tourism Development Officer, Youghal