Impacts of regeneration at the Giant’s Causeway

Background

  • County Antrim is located in the north-east of Northern Ireland

  • The Giant’s Causeway was designated a World Heritage Site in 1986 because of its unique geology and striking landscape

  • Attracts over 1 million tourists per year 

  • A fire destroyed the old visitor centre in 2000

The Giant’s causeway visitor centre

  • Provides 75 full-time jobs 

  • Challenges for local communities: 

    • Overtourism (too many visitors)

    • The money spent on parking etc goes to the National Trust, not the local community

    • Community access to the site is now limited by the National Trust, despite having had access to it for thousands of year

    • 65% of the community were not involved in the tourist industry, so make little monetary gain or contribute to tourism development

Criteria of success for different stakeholders

  • National Trust - increased visitor numbers, increased revenue

  • Moyle District Council - more employment, higher tax revenues 

  • Local community - less disruption due to tourist numbers

  • Translink (public transport network) - increased demand for services, more profits 

  • Local businesses (e.g. cafes, craft shops, hotel) - more customers, more profit

Conflict created via proposed golf course

  • Development plans to create the Bushmills Dunes Golf Resort and Spa at Runkerry

  • Runkerry is 500 metres away from the Giant’s Causeway - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which led to objections from environmentalists (e.g. the National Trust, UNESCO)

  • Due to strong opposition and inadequate finances, the golf course did not go ahead