Volume 1 Written Statement

Chapter 8: Arts, Cultural Heritage and Tourism
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promotion as well as improve connectivity and communication. Cultural tourism is a key focus but
other areas such as food tourism, horticultural tourism and adventure tourism are also being explored.
The priority tourism actions for the city, as well as arts and cultural actions, are set out in the following
sections.
Objective 8.1 Strategic Objectives - Enhancing Cork’s Cultural Identity
It is a strategic objective of Cork City Council:
a. To promote Cork City as a centre of excellence for arts, culture and leisure facilities as well
as the creative industries;
b. To celebrate Cork as a city of arts and to support the further development of Cork as a centre for
culture and creativity;
c. To support the continued advancement, participation and collaboration of arts and cultural
services in the city as outlined in the Cork City Arts Strategy (2011 – 2015);
d. To support awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of Cork City and implement
the Cork City Heritage Plan 2014-2018;
e. To ensure that the nurturing of the arts and associated services is part of the planned
development of Cork and its surrounding region;
f. To implement the Cork City Tourism Strategy 2012-2015 and its successors;
g. To facilitate and encourage sustainable tourism development which is based on and reflects
the city’s distinctive history culture and environment and which will promote diversification
and innovation in the tourism sector;
h. To protect and enhance the tourism and cultural amenities of the city including the
conservation, protection and enhancement of Cork City’s natural, built and cultural heritage
through land use zoning, policies and objectives;
i. To develop the city’s distinctive qualities and its function as a cultural destination and to
expand the role of the city as an important gateway and base for regional tourism.
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Developing Cork’s Cultural Heritage and Identity
8.12 In 2013, Failte Ireland commissioned the preparation of an Interpretive Framework for the city and
county. - ‘Cork City and Harbour’ - as a means of revealing the significance of Cork’s cultural heritage
and contemporary character. The Framework ultimately aims to develop a clear coordinated message
about Cork as a destination – one which has been informed and validated by the true depth of experience
that Cork can provide. Developing an understanding and appreciation of the concepts of place identity
and image as they relate to Cork City will help to underpin future tourism strategies in a meaningful
way. The Interpretive Framework developed by Failte Ireland provides broad directions for collectively
presenting the Cork Region through a number of key themes that define and describe its unique sense
and spirit of place. 17 It will inform and support a programme of work to include both capital and non
capital activities all of which are required in order to deliver a more coherent and compelling visitor
experience. 18
Objective 8.2 Enhancing Cork’s Cultural Identity
Cork City Council will work with Failte Ireland in the development and implementation of cultural heritage tourism
projects arising from its Interpretive Framework – Cork City and Harbour.
17
Failte Ireland, Interpretive Framework – Cork City and Harbour (2013) P.3
18
Ibid P. 3
Draft Cork City Development Plan 2015-2021
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