The Burren EcoTourism Network in Co. Clare has been named as the Best Community Tourism Project by leading travel website Lonely Planet.
The initiative saw over 60 local businesses come together to establish the area as a sustainable tourism region.
It aims to promote responsible tourism that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.
Welcoming the news, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “I would like to congratulate the Burren Ecotourism Network on being named a ‘Best Community Tourism Project’ in Lonely Planet’s prestigious Best in Travel 2021. It is a well-deserved accolade, recognising all of their hard work to become a global leader for sustainable tourism. I would also like to thank Lonely Planet for the wonderful support they have shown the island of Ireland over the years. In what has been a devastating year for travel and tourism, this accolade is really good news and will surely inspire travellers everywhere to put the Burren, Co Clare, and the island of Ireland on their holiday wish-list – when the time is right.”
The full Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2021 List is:
- Best Tour - Invisible Cities A UK city walking tour company and social enterprise providing people affected by homelessness the opportunity to become tour guides in their own city, while also generating funds for homeless projects.
- Best Restoration – Australia. Following the worst bushfire seasons in history, the rainforests, sapphire coasts and endemic wildlife are slowly rising from the ashes thanks to a number of community restoration efforts.
- Best Tourism Project - The Burren Eco Tourism Network, Co Clare. Bringing over 60 local enterprises together to become a global leader for sustainable tourism.
- Best Accommodation – Kazakhstan. Rural villagers are trained in hospitality to provide homestays while acquiring fresh economic opportunities for the local community.
- Best Immersion - Faroe Islands. The close-knit community provides personable, home-hospitality tourism and invites voluntourists to help preserve the natural landscape.
- Best Revitalisation - Medellín, Colombia. Transforming from the world’s most dangerous city to its most innovative through community-driven revitalization.
- Best Trekking - Tesfa Tours, Ethiopia. Locals lead perspective-altering treks through the extraordinary landscapes and homestays.
- Best Storyteller – Hesham Moadamani. Berlin based tour guide for Refugee Voices Tours uses his personal experience of fleeing the Syrian civil war, drawing parallels between the current Syrian conflict and the history of migration in Germany.
- Best Small Business - Footprint Café, Siem Reap Cambodia. A social enterprise blending wholesome Khmer cuisine and a unique approach to coworking and community empowerment.
- Best Expat Storyteller - Georgette Jupe, Girl in Florence. Through the lens of local artists and artisans her blog offers travellers a deeper connection to Italy’s most culturally significant city.
