Major Tourism Initiatives for County Monaghan as new Tourism Strategy announced and Tourism and Recreation Forum established

  • Development of Tourism Strategy for County Monaghan 2023-2028
  • Establishment of formalised voluntary forum of key tourism and recreation stakeholders to support the delivery of the strategy.

 

Cllr David Maxwell, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council, officially launched the new Tourism Strategy for County Monaghan 2023 – 2028 at an event in the Council Chamber in Monaghan on Thursday 4th April.

The strategy comes at a time when there are significant challenges in the tourism industry and it identifies a series of actions which are designed to enhance the potential of tourism as a key driver of County Monaghan’s economy. The integrated forum structure is anticipated to become an enabler for the coordinated delivery of tourism products, services and experiences to realise the ambition of the strategy.

Speaking at the launch, Cllr Maxwell stated that ‘Today is just the start of a significant journey for tourism in the county. Monaghan has fantastic potential as a tourist destination but it requires further development of, and investment into facilities and experiences to drive job creation and economic benefit. Monaghan County Council has committed to this process by developing this strategy, by adding additional resources to our Tourism Unit and by establishing a Tourism & Recreation forum to help drive progress. We look forward to working with stakeholders and industry partners as we implement this strategy.”

In attendance at the strategy launch was Matt Mohan, Independent Chair of the new Tourism & Recreation Forum for Monaghan who hosted the inaugural meeting of the forum immediately after the strategy launch.

In his speech, Matt Mohan, said that as a proud Monaghan man, he was ‘honoured to be asked to spearhead this initiative and to work in partnership with key stakeholders to unlock Monaghan’s tourism potential. I am committed to adding value wherever I can, assisting with the challenges ahead and driving the forum forward while maintaining a focus on sustainability and a greener future’.

Robert Burns, CE of Monaghan County Council added that ‘The vision for Monaghan is to create a sustainable, engaging destination which will provide authentic, place-based visitor experiences. To this end, we have developed an ambitious strategy and have established a mechanism which will support us in achieving it. I’m confident that we have an experienced forum team now in place to provide the necessary momentum to alter the trajectory of Monaghan’s tourism economy’.

 

For more information please contact:

Dympna Condra, Tourism Officer, Monaghan County Council

dcondra@monaghancoco.ie