Promoting Pride in Our Rural Villages..

Overview

This is a two-year East Border Region Tourism Partnership (EBRTP) project. It will be completed in June 2008.

The Project is managed by a Steering Committee made up of representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development NI, Border Action and Tourism Officers from the 8 councils that work together in EBRTP:

Ards Borough Council
Armagh City and District Council
Banbridge District Council
Craigavon Borough Council
Down District Council
Louth County Council
Monaghan County Council
Newry & Mourne District Council

Support for the rural economy is seen as a strategic priority for government in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Compared to many parts of Ireland, the East Border Region has suffered deprivation in terms of the development of tourism, visitor numbers and general economic development.

EBRTP, with support from INTERREG, participating councils, tourism bodies and other agencies has addressed this issue strategically with a number of significant tourism development initiatives.

Promoting Pride in Our Rural Villages should be seen as an element of a much broader tourism development programme for the East Border Region.

ERBTP has shown that many villages and small settlements in the Region which often act as hubs of rural life are relatively deprived. They also lack the physical resources, skills and networks needed to improve their localities, develop a sustainable economic base and benefit fully from the increasing number of visitors in the East Border Region.

Promoting Pride in Our Rural Villages is helping villages and small settlements in the Region overcome these barriers, with initiatives in a number of key areas including:

• Rural Settlement Strategic Frameworks
• Village Enhancement Scheme
• Shop Front Scheme
• Training / Mentoring / Customer Care Programme

More detail..