Donegal councillors approve five-year tourism strategy at second time of asking

Donegal county councillors have approved a tourism strategy for the next five years at the second time of asking.

Members of the local authority approved the Donegal County Council Tourism Strategy 2025 and Beyond on Monday morning.

The council says the strategy “reflects on the need to continue to support the sustainable and regenerative development of the industry in a way that contributes  positively to the social, cultural, environmental and economic wellbeing of Donegal”.

The approval of the plan had been postponed in May after councillors refused to adopt it due to the omission of Malin Head from a list of Donegal’s top attractions for 2023 which was created using figures from Fáilte Ireland.

The strategy does set out how Donegal County Council is working collaboratively with Fáilte Ireland and local stakeholders to deliver the Inishowen Destination Experience Development Plan (DEDP), which is a 3/5 -year sustainable tourism plan for the Inishowen region, incorporating catalyst experiences at Malin Head, Inishowen Blueway and Fort Dunree alongside hero experiences at Grianán of Aileach, Inch Wildfowl Reserve and Inishowen Maritime Museum among others. 

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The updated strategy was presented to councillors again at Monday’s special meeting of the council.

The figures showed visitor numbers to the county's  “signature discovery points” in 2023 with 160,000 visiting Sliabh Liag, Fanad Head attracting 101,591 and Malin Head bringing in 99,073.

Inishowen councillor Martin McDermott, who had reacted angrily to the omission of Malin Head in May, welcomed the inclusion of the figures but said it “beggars belief” that the country’s most northerly point had been excluded in the first place.

He called on the council to ask Fáilte Ireland why the figures had not been included, adding that it was “totally unacceptable”.