National policy, European structural funds and sustainable tourism: The case of Ireland

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Abstract
The Irish economy is one of the smallest and poorest in the European Union and in recent years has turned to tourism in an effort to stimulate growth and employment. Up to the late 1960s the industry had grown rapidly and then declined, showing no growth in real revenue until 1987. The return to growth in recent years has followed a change of policy which previously emphasised promotion to one of investment. This recent performance has led to claims that the policy is successful and should be continued with European funding. Although Bord Fáilte, the national tourism organisation, promotes the idea that this development will continue in a sustainable manner, a number of issues must be considered before such a conclusion is reached. Analysis of the pattern of growth indicates that it remains fragile and that increased efforts to reach short‐term economic targets are likely to take precedence over longer‐term considerations. While accepting that state intervention and subsidies can promote sustainable goals, the wisdom of continuing to pursue this investment must be questioned since it requires the acceptance of economic targets currently specified in the absence of social welfare or cost‐benefit calculations which explicitly promote sustain‐ability.

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