A European system of measuring the impact of tourism on communities is to be introduced on a number of islands off the west Irish coast this summer.
Three Aran islands and Inishbofin off Galway, along with Donegal’s Tory and Arranmore, will participate in the project led by researchers from the new Atlantic Technological University (ATU).
The European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) was developed by the European Commission as an evidence-based model for collecting information and measuring impacts.
It involves collecting data on 43 specific areas, ranging from tourist spending patterns to gender equality, inclusion and accessibility, transport impact, climate change, energy consumption, waste generation and sewage treatment.
The system helps to measure trends over time, such as the rising percentage of women in management roles; changes in waste water quality; reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and changing impacts of tourism in the community.
The researchers will work with communities, tourism stakeholders and destination managers on gathering the information which will better inform the sustainable management of island tourism, according to ATU president Dr Orla Flynn.
State agencies Fáilte Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta, along with local authorities, will also support the project.
Up until now, detailed tourism indicators have been limited, but the ETIS is a very accessible international model, Dr Diarmuid Ó Conghaíle, ATU’s head of department for heritage and tourism, explained.
“While we are starting with the four Galway islands - and Tory and Arranmore with the support of Údarás na Gaeltachta - the aim is to incorporate all offshore islands from about 2024,” he said.
“It will allow the islands to compare their performance on tourism, will inform planning and sustainable management, and may even create a bit of competition, “Ó Conghaíle said.
“We are hosting community briefings with the participating islands in May, and will be collecting data from the end of that month,” he said.
“The project will be developed through online surveys, with a particular set of questions for the community, for tourists and for tourism operators,” Ó Conghaíle said.
“The information may be gathered digitally or through paper surveys as we are keen to make sure everyone is involved, and everyone has access to the information, “he said.
Given that the data will be “evidence-based”, it will help to support funding applications at national and European level, he said. The information will be published on a dedicated website.
“This is the first year, and we hope this will be an annual ATU project,” he said.
The ATU involves the Galway-Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny institutes of technology.
The west/north-west group was formally initiated earlier this month by the Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris after technological university status was granted last year to the three institutes.
