Cultural Tourism Clusters in Ireland: Leveraging a Community’s Capabilities

Fáilte Ireland

Thursday, May 3rd, 2007

Dr. Breda McCarthy

Fáilte Ireland Fellow

Department of Management & Marketing

University College Cork

University College, Cork

Colláiste na h'Ollscoile Corcaigh

Cultural tourism:

what is it? why study it?

an example of the ‘amorphous economy’? (Krugman, 1991).

Cultural tourism: a public policy perspective

New Horizons for Irish Tourism: An Agenda for Action (2003) Interdependence of arts and tourism Festival Tourism

estimated to be worth €200m (Fáilte Ireland: Supporting Festivals and Cultural Events to Enhance the Tourism Product, 2006).

144 festivals were supported with grant-aid of €3.4m in 2005 (Fáilte Ireland Annual Report, 2005).

€5.6 million was provided by the Arts Council in 2005 to 56 major festivals

“Research indicates that significant additional tourists can be attracted here by the quality of the cultural and heritage product. It is patently clear that the potential of Ireland’s cultural and heritage attractions, including music venues and performing arts facilities, needs to be better developed and marketed.” Tourism Action Plan Implementation Group (2006, p. 20).

Do performing arts clusters exist in regional (non-city) areas?

Do certain areas have a cultural identity to which artists, tourism and cultural entrepreneurs are attracted?

Do they a terrain or environment in which new ideas, new products, new opportunities can be explored, discussed, tried and tested?

Do they provide the flow of people and the markets necessary to sustain viable cultural production? (Montgomery, 1992)

What are the implications for policy makers?

Key Questions

Regional performance: total tourist revenue.

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2005

Shannon WestNorth West South WestDublin Midlands/EastSouth East

Challenge: how do we explain regional imbalances?

‘Distinctive Capabilities’ for Tourism Production

Central theme: successful areas/regions like successful firms, possess resources and develop distinctive capabilities that impart competitive advantage to tourism enterprises

Capabilities are developed cumulatively and collectively

Iconic Attractions: Top Ten Fee-Paying Visitor Attractions, Ireland

Figure 1. Regional Marketing – an array of experiences

Soft-adventure, activity-orientation

Cultural Pursuits & Cultural Infrastructure (castles, historic homes, gardens, performing arts, festivals, etc)

Scenery/LandscapePeople

Hospitality Food & Beverages

RetailingTransportation

Golf, angling, sailing, surfing, hill-walking, etc

What are the characteristics of clusters in the context of the performing arts?

Pool ofRelated & Supporting

Industries

New Business ModelPerforming Arts

Focal ActorInternational Event

Largest/Most Visited EventFast Growing Organizations

Recent Entrants

Skill FormationArtistic capabilities, craft, creative Event management skills

Cultural Tourism Cluster evolution: alignment imperative and viewpoints

Cluster & Skills Formation Process

Hybrids/Fusion

Festival

New Arts Infrastructure

New cultural organisations

Cluster/Skills Formation Process

Specialisation

Diversity Demand

Supply

Government:proactive or reactive

Related & Supporting Industries:Responsive or non-responsive

Co-opetition

Diffusion of ideas

Micro-clusters

South West Clare: ‘Burren region’ Kerry: ‘Dingle Peninsula’, the ‘Beara Peninsula’

Product champion Translocation of capabilities established by in-migrants Cultural heritage: music, language, literary, island heritage, etc Funding of arts infrastructure County Development Plan Impressive landscape, uniquely local attributes Co-location of complementary firms Accessibility New initiatives, festivals – old and new – and work shops Community culture, networks, planning

In conclusion

Education & training – module development