The Tourism Forum consists of a diverse range of individuals who represent key players in the tourism product in county Donegal and the wider region. 18 stakeholders participated in this meeting.The purpose of the presentation to the Heritage Forum was to give an overview of the HERICOAST project and generate interest among the tourism sector in the project. The presentation gave an overview of the HERICOAST project, highlighting the potential for appropriately harnessing the coastal tourism asset whilst also enduring the continued management of the interrelated factors. The following individual elements of the landscape and their interrelationships were presented, as examples of the various elements of coastal heritage and to illustrate the breadth of elements a coastal project must consider:
• The sea
• Synergy between the land and sea
• The coastal edge
• Coastal Diversity
• The islands
• Interdependencies between land and sea
• Coastal leisure use
• Built heritage
• Maritime architecture
• Military heritage
• Visiting experience
• Opportunities for positive coastal development
• Iconic landmarks
Various uses of the landscape were discussed with a particular focus on the Tourism and leisure industry within the wider linked context of the entire coastal region, and the value this project could bring.
A discussion ensued around the need to achieve a balance when redeveloping coastal landscapes to develop a policy framework informed by the wider shared experience across the partner regions, informed by the pivotal role of the significant heritage assets of the region.
Conclusion:
Stakeholders welcomed the positive impact of the project on the future management of Donegals significant heritage offer, and were interested to become involved in and kept abreast of the developing project. The optimal potential of the project in informing applications for future funding, particularly those that could benefit positive coastal management, was welcomed and the group expressed an interest
