County Sligo Tourism Strategy 2018-2023
The County Sligo Tourism Strategy was developed collaboratively by Sligo Tourism Ltd and Sligo County Council and aims to be an inclusive and strategic roadmap that will guide the development and direction of the industry in the county. Approved by the Board of Sligo Tourism on 16th January, 2018 and by Sligo County Council on 5th February, 2018 it sets out 4 Strategic Priorities to be delivered over the lifetime of the Programme namely:
I. Product and Experience Development
II. Marketing and Communications
III. Industry and Capability Development
IV. Leadership and Collaboration
To deliver on these Strategic Priorities a number of key objectives, initiatives and actions are set out. These include a concentrated focus on developing the Yeats Theme as the main theme /attractor for tourism in County Sligo both from a product and marketing point of view. This theme is selected on the basis that it can give County Sligo a Market Differentiation leading to advantage, that cannot be copied. The Plan also focuses on developing a second tier of thematic experiences and attractors selected based on their relative strength and ability to capture visitors and offer compelling experiences. In this respect, they are: (a) Outdoor Adventure (b) Archaeology and history. (c). Culture and Creativity.
The Board of Sligo Tourism Ltd have established 4 Working Groups to assist and support the implementation of the plan namely:
- Product and experiences
- Marketing and Communications
- Industry Capability and Training
- Finance and Resources. (Cross Cutting requirement for all actions and initiatives in the plan.
The Strategy sets out clear performance outputs and metrics to be achieved over the lifetime of the plan.
| Performance Metric | 2016 (Estimates) | 2023 Target | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas Visitor Numbers | 192,000 | 236,000 | 44,000 23% |
| Domestic Visitor Numbers | 272,000 | 312,000 | 40,000 15% |
| Overseas Tourism Revenue | €54,000,000 | €76,000,000 | €22,000,000 41% |
| Domestic Tourism Revenue | €63,500,000 | €73,000,000 | €9,500,000 15% |
| Total Employment | 2,700 | 3,400 | 700 26% |
