MTU To Lead ‘Regenerative Tourism’ Project

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Pictured from left: Caroline Boland Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance’s , Mary Rose Stafford MTU Kerry , Molly Boland Dingle , Sophia Price MTU and Maeve Kelleher Tralee. Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

EIGHTY small businesses in five countries are to be chosen for a new project led by Munster Technological University (MTU) that will help address tourism’s impact on local environments and communities while also promoting a more regenerative model for the industry.

‘Regenerative Tourism’ seeks to ensure that the industry impacts positively on a destination’s community and environment.

The tourism team at MTU has received an EU grant of approx. €1.2 million to lead the ‘Circular Economy 4 Regenerative Tourism’ project, under which the university will be the Irish lead partner with other partners in Finland, Iceland, Poland and the Netherlands.

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The overall objective of the grant is to support Tourism SMEs across the partnership in improving carbon footprint and achieving sustainability certification and will run from January 2023 for 25 months.

MTU will work closely with tourism authorities in each country to share best practice and contribute to their respective national sustainable tourism agendas.

MTU President Maggie Cusack commented; “MTU acknowledges the vast scale of current environmental challenges and aspires to be a leader in sustainability regionally, nationally and internationally through education and research. This project will bring about a sustainable and fundamental change in behaviour and influence a best practice culture in the Tourism sector.”

The two year project will end in February 2025 with a hybrid international regenerative tourism conference in MTU to disseminate project findings and share international best practice from the participating Tourism SMEs.

This project is funded under the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

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