Small Irish tourism companies – be they SMEs or micro enterprises – can now apply for a grant of up to €5,600 to support their business take sustainable actions.
The EU grant funding of €5,600 can be used to help begin or further develop sustainability initiatives like:
- Get an energy audit and management plan
- Get a waste audit and management plan
- Conduct a food waste analysis and learn how your business can make savings
- Get a waste audit and a tailored reduction plan for your business
- Undergo a carbon analysis and get a reduction plan
- Upskill your team on sustainability (max 20% of the funding)
- Purchase of tools/technologies for monitoring/improving sustainability (max 20% of the funding)
The grant is 100% funded and it does NOT fall under the de-minimis regulation.
Rob Rankin, Managing Director, Vagabond Tours of Ireland said: “By implementing systems or sustainable practices, tourism businesses can save money, gain markets with more environmentally aware customers, and improve their environmental image.”
“Recent research undertaken by Booking.com highlights the growing interest of travellers from around the world in sustainable travel. For instance, 76% of respondents expressed a desire to travel more sustainably in the coming year. 65% of respondents said they would feel more comfortable staying at a particular property if it had a sustainability certification or label, and 43% of modern travellers would be willing to pay more for travel options with sustainable certification.”
Lauren Keogh, General Manager with Vagabond Tours of Ireland, added: “We are happy to help businesses with the application process and the best way to get started with this funding application is to visit the I-STARS Call Page (https://ccci.org.cy/istars-project/).”
