Killarney Resident Survey 2010

The DIT-ACHIEV Model for the Sustainable Management of Tourism has been developed by the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism, Technological University Dublin and is endorsed by the Environmental Protection Agency and Fáilte Ireland. It explores six areas of interest - Administration, Community, Heritage, Infrastructure, Enterprise and Visitor. The purpose of piloting this DIT- ACHIEV model in Killarney is to test its use in an Irish tourism destination, with the objective to refine and adjust its methodology, so that it can be applied in any Irish tourism destination. Early indications are that the Model will provide the Irish Tourism Industry with a valuable tool for making its product and management far more sustainable. In addition to data such as environmental measurements, information on water, waste, energy, transport, examination of local cultural, landscape and employment statistics, the model requires the undertaking of three dedicated surveys: • A Resident Survey • A Business Survey • A Visitor Survey With the support of local volunteers, a Visitor Survey has been taking place throughout Killarney over the last 6 months, and results will be presented at the end of the season. A Business Survey will take place in the coming weeks, and this publication presents an overview of the findings from an on-line survey of 436 Killarney Town and Valley residents which took place in recent weeks. This report presents Killarney people’s attitudes and opinions regarding tourism and while some issues have emerged, the general response to the survey is that Killarney residents overwhelmingly support tourism.