Commissioned by Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with Donegal County Council, the aim of this project was to better understand the landscape of tourism focused festivals currently taking place across the county. We were then asked to combine these insights, together with international benchmarking to provide strategic recommendations on how the region’s festivals could be further supported and developed to enhance the destination offering and boost domestic and out-of-state tourism for the region.
Assess the tourism festivals landscape in County Donegal to identify gaps and opportunities for growth.
Listen to the needs of festival organisers across the county to shape recommendations for future investment in tourism-led festivals for Donegal.
Identify ways to strengthen partnerships and opportunities for future collaboration.
Contribute to Building Industry Capacity and Supporting Services theme in the Inishowen Peninsula Destination & Experience Development Plan (DEDP).
Fresh from delivering our 2023 project in County Donegal (and neighbouring County Fermanagh), see Cross-Border Regenerative Tourism Feasibility Study, we used our strong existing networks in the region to deep dive into the core challenges and opportunities with an emphasis on in depth stakeholder engagement and the design of bespoke, place-specific recommendations.
This review was identified in the Inishowen Peninsula DEDP and so our team ensured we were up to speed with the wider context, what had gone before and expectations of stakeholders across the region.
Following extensive stakeholder mapping, we conducted a series of 1:1 consultations with key festival organisers and also hosted an online industry survey disseminated through Donegal County Council and Fáilte Ireland.
We presented a summary of research findings and emerging priorities to the project steering group to help identify and shape the final stage recommendations.
Once we had built this picture of the direction of travel we conducted a benchmarking review of tourism festivals investment programmes to draw valuable insights from other comparable destinations from around the world.
Our key recommendation through this review was the development of a Donegal Tourism Festivals Growth Fund to support high performing and ambitious festivals to maximise their positive and sustainable tourism impact for the County.
- We outlined how this new fund would fit strategically in line with the wider national and regional funding landscape
- We provided recommendations of the size and scope of this fund and mechanisms for delivery and management
- We drafted detailed eligibility and evaluation criteria with an emphasis on destination fit and positive place impact
- We highlighted the need for a multi-annual approach but with a clear emphasis on shared purpose and commitment to growth
This strategic recommendation was supported by other complementary recommendations in relation to industry and community capacity-building, peer-to-peer mentoring and development of a festivals-led destination forum to build relationships at a destination level, to share good practice and encourage increased collaboration amongst festival organisers.
