Local Authority planning provision for Event Management in Ireland: A Socio-Cultural Perspective

The increasing popularity of the event sector in Ireland has resulted in many community events being developed and marketed to international and domestic tourists alike. This growth has had an effect on host communities in a positive and negative manner. This paper assesses the current levels of Local Authority socio-cultural planning provision and guidelines for event management in Ireland. To achieve this, a content analysis approach was used to illustrate which Local Authorities in the Republic of Ireland employed socio-cultural tools and indicators for event management. Accordingly, analysis revealed a lack of Local Authority socio-cultural planning guidelines or policies for event management. However, this offers and opportunity to be improved by implementing and applying best practice indicators in socio-cultural policies and guidelines for event management in Ireland

Climate change and small island tourism: policy maker and industry perspectives in Barbados

Tourism in many small island developing states is vulnerable to potential impacts of climate change. Policies related to climate change and tourism depend on value-driven decisions made in the context of uncertainty and complex socioeconomic, cultural, and political relationships. Debates on policies for climate change and tourism are influenced by varied individual and group responses. This article examines the views of policy makers and tourism managers in Barbados on potential climate change impacts on the island’s tourism industry, and their preferred policies in response to them. Many considered it very likely there will be damage to coastal tourism facilities, beach changes, and adverse effects on marine ecosystems. Both groups saw increasing public awareness as the most appropriate policy response. Tourism managers were less inclined to regard policy responses as very appropriate, perhaps being more cautious about policy interventions. Future research directions for “postnormal science” related to this topic are also identified