| dc.description.abstract | Doe Castle a National Monument has been considered by many people in the local
community as a built heritage that has potential to be further developed in the interest of
tourism and for the benefit of the local people in Sheephaven Bay. It is acknowledge that
heritage can bring economic benefits to rural regions, and the development of Doe Castle into
a heritage centre would heighten the profile of this area and bring greater tourism acclaim by
further enhancing the offerings to visitors that visit or may consider visiting County Donegal
and this region.
This dissertation focuses on the understanding of heritage, the features of a heritage tourist,
the importance of management and sustainability and how marketing plays an overall role in
the development of a heritage site. A further focus is on the importance of stakeholders
working together in partnership, understanding that there can be conflicts within this
partnership that must be managed if a successful outcome is to be achieved.
An extensive study was carried out on relevant literature and practical research was
implemented, the latter involved three methods of primary research, a survey, semi-structure
in-depth interviews and focus group interview.
The survey findings gave an overview of the profile, perceptions and views of visitors that
visited Glenveagh National Park, a destination that is both a natural reserve and a place of
heritage, it provided an understanding of the relationship that the heritage/cultural tourist has
with the visited site and reinforced opinions taken from the literary review. It also confirmed
that when a site is managed well visitors return again and promote the site by word of mouth
a most powerful marketing tool. Appreciating the views of the various stakeholders both the
government bodies that have charge of the site and the local communities have shown that
small steps will be necessary over several years to achieve the full potential development of
Doe Castle. The willingness of all the stakeholders to consider development ideas and work
together was a positive finding.
The conclusion shows that the stakeholders including potential visitors will gain positively
from the development of Doe Castle. The government bodies directly in charge of the site
will benefit from further conservation/preservation, the local community from extra visitors
and another local attraction, and Failte Ireland from an improved offering in Sheephaven Bay
which will further enhance Donegal’s future as a vibrant tourist destination.
II
If sustainability is to be achieved at the site it will require a good story, excellent
management, the right target market and overall marketing. It was discovered that some
visitors to Glenveagh National Park were interested in Doe Castle and the Park would be
willing to partner with the site in the future.
The recommendations are to bring together members of the local community and various
government bodies interested in this project. Create a long term vision for Doe Castle with
short term gains along the way that will help advance the project gradually and sustainably.
Gain understanding of the target market that would suit the site and how they can be reached
and further investigate similar sites in Ireland or abroad and learn from their experiences. | en |
