Cavan Town has won a prestigious European tourism award for its progressive work on making itself accessible to visitors with a disability. The town (and environs) has been named as the Irish winner of this year’s “European Destination of Excellence” (EDEN) award as part of an EU-wide competition designed to encourage and promote a more sustainable form of tourism development.
The theme of the 2013 competition was ‘Accessible Tourism’ and the winning destination was chosen following on-site assessments by a panel of expert adjudicators. Major efforts have been made to provide an accessible tourism experience for visitors and the town is implementing a disability strategy which has been developed in consultation with disability advisory groups.
Welcoming today’s accolade, Paddy Mathews Manager of Destination Development with Fáilte Ireland said:
“Cavan Town and Environs, by meeting the challenge of physical access for people with disabilities, is not only making it easier for these visitors to experience all that the destination has to offer but is also showing the way forward to other Irish destinations.
“Cavan has shown what can be achieved by working with the visitors’ needs in mind and by ensuring that those with disabilities are considered early in the tourism development process. There is a lot for other towns and cities around the country to learn from Cavan’s work and success and they are a great example of a truly customer-centred approach.”
Cavan will now be awarded the European title of “Destination of Excellence 2013 – Accessible Tourism” and in addition will receive free marketing supports from Fáilte Ireland including a professional photo shoot for the destination to be used for promotional purposes, a grant of €5,000 for business development support initiatives. A promotional DVD will also be produced of Cavan and its winning status will now grant it participation in an EU network of similar sites.
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ENDS
For further information please contact:
Louise Tolerton
Press Officer - 086 6086578/01 8847135
Notes for editor
Fáilte Ireland
Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority, was established in 2003 to guide and promote tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy.
The tourism and hospitality industry employs an estimated 185,000 people and generates almost €5.7 billion in revenue a year.
EDEN Competition
EDEN is an EU-wide competition with two main aims. Firstly, it highlights the value, diversity and shared characteristics of European lesser known tourist destinations, and secondly, promotes destinations where the economic growth objective is pursued in such a way as to ensure the social, cultural and environmental sustainability of tourism.
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