County Clare has retained its status as a certified sustainable destination following a five-day independent audit by international certification body EarthCheck.
Clare was the first, and remains the only, certified sustainable destination in Ireland and the UK. Its certification is validated by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which establishes global standards for sustainable tourism.
The annual EarthCheck audit assessed tourism businesses, suppliers, visitor experiences and attractions and also examined the wider infrastructure supporting tourism in the county, including waste management, water, energy, roads and connectivity during the five-day visit. The 2025 audit looked at the wider county, this year the focus was on North Clare. The following years audits will involve in-depth assessments of other regions in the county.
The certification is based on environmental, social and economic indicators submitted through the EarthCheck system and independently assessed through the annual audit.
The County Clare GSTC Destination Green Team champions the county’s sustainable destination programme. It includes a cross-section of local authority employees, tourism agencies and businesses, conservation agencies, community leaders and organisations, the UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) Network, and the sustainable tourism expertise of Atlantic Technical University (ATU) Sligo.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Joe Killeen, said the certification reflected the work being undertaken by communities and businesses throughout the county, “Retaining the EarthCheck certification demonstrates the commitment of the Council, our citizens and organisations across Clare to the ongoing development of sustainable tourism and destination management. Tourism is an important part of the local economy, but it also places demand on our infrastructure and natural environment. The certification process provides an independent assessment of how we are managing those demands and where improvements can be made.”
Clare County Councils Director of Tourism, Recreation, Libraries and Cultural Services, Siobhán McNulty, said the audit examined sustainability across the county, extending beyond tourism, “EarthCheck is a robust certification system, and the annual audit examines the wider destination infrastructure, including waste, water, energy, roads and connectivity, as well as tourism businesses, suppliers and visitor experiences. Retaining our Silver certification following our second audit is recognition of the work taking place across the county.
Importantly, the certification also provides us with a clear framework to measure our performance, track progress and identify areas where further improvements can be made.”
Manager of the Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark, Carol Gleeson, said sustainable tourism had been developing in parts of the county for many years, “The audit highlighted the work already being carried out by our tourism businesses, communities and conservation organisations.
The Geopark and the Burren Ecotourism Network (BEN) are examples of the work that has been taking place for many years. The challenge now is to build on that work in other parts of Clare and continue adapting Clare’s tourism offering to enhance community benefit and environmental standards and to meet changing visitor expectations.”
Further information is available at www.visitclare.ie/sustainable.