Athenry News & Views Spring 2026

Athenry News & Views

East Galway Leading the Way for European Slow Tourism

A growing movement across Europe is redefining travel by prioritising meaning over speed, and East Galway is at the heart of this transformation. Through the Interreg Europe Project Slowdown, Galway County Council and the BIA Innovator Campus are collaborating with eight other European regions to improve regional policies that support Slow Tourism. This approach focuses on fostering deeper connections with our local culture, people, and landscape while ensuring sustainable economic growth for The foundation for our region’s policy improvement idea was strengthened by interregional knowledge exchanges visits, most notably a five-day visit to Sibiu, Romania, in June 2025. The Galway delegation was inspired by Sibiu’s ‘Local Gastronomy Points’, a model of small-scale catering where rural families serve traditional dishes directly from their private kitchens under simplified regulations. A key takeaway from this exchange was that people are the heart of slow tourism. Whether it is a storyteller, a guide, or a local baker, the authentic passion and pride of residents create the most lasting impressions on visitors. The Galway region is now exploring how to adapt this model to East Galway to empower local food producers and share our unique culinary heritage. Galway in the International Spotlight In September 2025, our region took the world stage as the Galway region hosted the 4th Interregional Thematic Workshop (ITW4). Our European guests were deeply impressed by the region’s seamless integration our rural communities. Learning from Europe: The Sibiu Inspiration

of sustainability, high-quality craftsmanship, and community pride. They praised the region for showcasing innovative businesses, ranging from zero emissions production to artisan confectionery and biodiversity focused farming, that prove sustainable tourism can be both authentic and economically viable. The local hospitality was consistently described as “5 stars,” cementing Galway’s reputation as a premier destination for high quality, reflective travel.

Interregional Thematic Workshop in Athenry

Staff Knowledge Exchange Visit to Sibiu, Romania

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