THE SUPPLY OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN IRELAND
THE SUPPLY OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN IRELAND

Summary/Abstract: The concept of sustainability remains one of the major issues in tourism today. There currently exits a strong knowledge base pertaining to sustainable tourism and the drive toward the sustainable management of tourism destinations. However, theoretical links to the supply of sustainable tourism in Ireland was unknown. This paper bridges this gap in knowledge by providing baseline findings as part of a nationwide study among tourism businesses in Ireland before delivering a more in-depth look at the supply of sustainable with a particular focus on the attitudes of stakeholders in County Clare. Qualitative interviews illustrated that the majority of stakeholders claim to be demonstrating effective sustainable management of tourism. In addition, industry adaptation from the implementation of cultural heritage management practices was also found. Yet the existence of polices against commercial exploitation and conduct for activities in local communities were unknown by stakeholders. Also, it would appear that the tourism industry has room to improve management practices to maximise benefits to the environment. Further discussion reveals however, that fundamental procedures such as training in sustainable tourism and implementation of certification and labels were found to be lacking. Many of the findings from this paper on the supply of sustainable tourism in County Clare point to the need for a standard process or model to be followed to facilitate the sustainable management of tourism destinations.

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