Local Authorities

Dublin City Council has developed a plan for the development of tourism in the city for the next few years. If the plan is to be successful, the council will need to work with a number of partners.

The plan has three parts:

1. To improve the visitor experience by creating a safe city which welcomes people from all over the world
2. To improve the visitor experience by creating a diverse and vibrant culture
3. To make the city more connected by improving public transport, cycling and walking facilities.

The plan has a number of objectives, and many of these will not be met unless the council can work in partnership with a wide range of organisations. The objectives include:

• To create a world class pedestrian-friendly city – to do this the city council may have to work with other authorities and transport organisations to decide which parts of the city can be pedestrianised.
• To promote Dublin as a city of events – to do this the council will need to work in partnership with the owners of the two major stadiums, Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium, as well as the large theatres such as the 3 Arena.
• Promote Dublin as a city of literature – Dublin has been designated by UNESCO as a city of literature and the council wants to build on this status to promote tourism.
• Attract more visitors to the city – The hope is to grow tourist numbers by 7% each year. To do this, the city council will need to work closely in partnership with tourism bodies such as Dublin Tourism, Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland as well as major organisations such as Dublin Airport. It will also need to work closely with planners and accommodation providers to open more hotels in the city, because at the moment the lack of tourist accommodation is a major problem.
• Develop a vibrant food culture – opening new cafes and restaurants serving different types of food is a great idea because it will give tourists far more choice. The council will need to work in partnership with a range of restaurants.
• Expand the public transport system – the city council cannot do this without working in partnership with transport providers such as Dublin Bus and DART. Making the city easily accessible by public transport is a great idea and will reduce environmental impacts.
• Develop a walking city – Visit Dublin has developed The Dublin Trail which is a discovery walk through the city, which tourists can download as an app. It’s a great idea to develop more ways in which mobile technology and apps can be used to provide information to tourists.
• Develop a cycling city – the council wants to extend the Dublin Bikes cycle hire system recently introduced in the city. This is a great example of tourism organisations working in partnership. The scheme is sponsored by the food chain Just Eat and the Leap Visitor Card can also be used to pay for the bikes.