Tourism in Fingal
Destination Fingal
Fingal is hugely diverse in population and geography, and tourism is no different. The Fingal motto ‘Flúirse Talaimh is Mara’ (rich in land and sea) is reflected in the equally rich variety of natural amenities including Special Amenity Areas such as Howth and the Liffey Valley, heritage, arts, culture, recreation and leisure within it’s borders.
A stunning landscape includes 88km of coastline from Balbriggan to Howth, urban centres such as the County seats of Swords and Blanchardstown, and picturesque towns and villages in idyllic rural settings with the breathing room of the countryside, stretching all the way from the Naul across to the magnificent Liffey Valley and Phoenix Park.
With long sandy beaches, rugged coastline, stunning heritage properties, ancient castles, majestic gardens, a wide range of arts and cultural venues offering a year long programme of events, indoor and outdoor sport and leisure activities, combined with a thriving hospitality sector encompassing diverse culinary traditions, and local producers, there is truly something for everyone in Fingal.
Our vision for tourism in Fingal
“Consolidate Fingal’s position as a tourism destination with a choice of local, cultural, culinary, coastal and outdoor experiences across the county that showcase the strengths, assets and opportunities of the area and lead to sustainable and inclusive tourism sector growth.”
In launching our 2024-29 Tourism Strategy, we wanted to ensure an inclusive and future focused vision for tourism in Fingal, one which positions the county to, over time and in line with product, experience and infrastructure developments, increase its share of Dublin’s growing tourism economy, domestically and internationally.
Our mission
“Provide a sustainable and collaborative road-map which supports all tourism stakeholders in working together to deliver a tourism proposition which will deliver maximum sustainable, economic and social benefit for Fingal.”
As with the vision, the stated mission is informed by consultations and the survey in relation to questions on how to avail of opportunities, overcome challenges and what would make the strategy successful.
Implementing the Tourism Strategy
The strategic approach is driven by the need to acknowledge that while there is a diverse range of tourism assets in the county, there is an equally diverse mix of stages of development, with some tourism assets unlikely to be fully developed and available for the lifetime of the strategy. Equally, tourism assets are at different stages of development in terms of ability to scale and a large amount of what is available is best scaled in collaboration i.e. through clusters with itineraries based on visitor needs and interests.
Key to the strategy are three primary asset themes:
- Natural Amenities and Heritage
- Arts and Culture
- Recreation and Leisure
These will be further augmented by the supporting asset themes of Hospitality, Food and Drink, and the festivals and events for which Fingal is already so well-known, including Flavours of Fingal, Howth Maritime and Seafood Festival, Malahide Castle Concerts, and more recently, TradFest.
Check out the Fingal Tourism Strategy 2024-2029
For further information, please contact:
Economic Development Services,
Fingal County Council
County Hall,
Swords
Co. Dublin
Tel: 01-890 5516