Community event to discuss sustainable tourism in Blackstairs

Individuals and community groups in and around the general mountains area are invited to attend this evening’s event which will get under way at 6.30 p.m.

This event is being organised to introduce a new European project, ‘CUPHAT – Coastal Uplands: Heritage and Tourism’, which focuses on sustainable and regenerative heritage-based tourism in the coastal uplands of Ireland and Wales.

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland-Wales Cooperation programme, the project seeks to showcase the shared and distinctive heritages of the coastal uplands of both countries bordering the Irish Sea.

CUPHAT focuses on areas outside the reach of traditional tourism offerings with four funded study locations in the Cambrian Mountains and Preseli Hills in Wales, the southern Wicklow Mountains and the Wexford portion of the Blackstairs Mountains.

Researchers from UCD School of Geography partnering with colleagues in Aberystwyth University and the Dyfed Archaeological Trust, will work with local communities to develop tourism offerings in these areas and they would like people’s input to connect and co-create sustainable tourism offerings that meet the needs of the local community.

The project leads from UCD, Dr Arlene Crampsie and Dr Christine Bonnin, described CUPHAT as “providing an exciting opportunity to increase awareness of the rich heritage of our landscape and to widen accessibility to key visitor sites for local communities and tourists alike”.

They hope that by collaborating with local communities and stakeholders CUPHAT can develop locally appropriate tourist activities that support rural economic development and help address some of the sustainability challenges facing coastal upland communities.

“We are keen to meet with people from all sectors of the local community to ensure that the kind of tourism promoted by the project is sustainable and beneficial to this region,” they said.

“We invite anybody who is interested to come along and find out more, meet with us and share their ideas,” they added.

They also want to learn about aspects of the cultural and natural heritage of the Blackstairs Mountains that are most significant and meaningful to local people.

“This project offers a unique chance to preserve aspects of the area’s heritage for future generations as well as showcasing it to visitors,” they said.

The CUPHAT project will also bring together community groups and stakeholders from across the four coastal upland areas for learning visits during which participants will be able to share experiences from previous projects, discuss new ideas and collaborate on shared initiatives.

This evening’s event is free but registration is required by emailing cuphat@aber.ac.uk or completing the google form available at: https://forms.gle/qk7LCQGdcQjPZxXe8 to RSVP