Ballyhoura-A Case Study of Cohesive Rural Tourism Planning in Ireland

The restructuring of the agricultural industry has been a central objective of many policies in Ireland. The central premise of these policies has been the diversification of the rural economy in order to prevent the decline of Ireland's rural communities (Rural Development Programme 2007-2013). This paper highlights these policies and outlines their importance with regard to diversifying from an agrarian base to tourism development in Ballyhoura Country, Ireland. Discussions are directed to assist in understanding the significance of rural planning so as to ascertain its importance and understand its link with regard to cohesiveness among organisations in the Ballyhoura Country region. The area of literature reviewed with regard to Ballyhoura has reiterated the importance of planning and community involvement in order to successfully diversify from an agrarian base to a thriving rural tourism hub. Ballyhoura has been future-focused and proactive with regard to formulating strategies and securing funding for development. This funding has been utilised to carry out research in relation to tourism development in the region-Ballyhoura Attractions Cluster Development Strategy, 2003, Ballyhoura International Walking Festival Visitor Survey, 2006, Galtee Mountains: Tourism Development Facilitation and Project Management Initiative 2011, Approaches to Participative Community Based Socio Economic Planning: Developing a Model to Underpin the Sustainability of Ireland's Local Communities, 2011, Research on Mountain Biking Trails, 2011, Slieve Felim Concept Plan, 2011. These reports highlight the importance of undertaking a detailed audit of existing tourism infrastructure within a region and ensuring community buy-in before creating or developing strategies and plans.