Make Your Visit To Cork More Sustainable

Whether you are visiting Cork for leisure, or as part of an organised group tour, conference, incentive or event, we guarantee you will fall in love with our beautiful region!

We want to protect our stunning landscape, built and natural heritage and our vibrant communities, so that people can continue to enjoy their visit to Cork into the future. So as part of our commitment to sustainability Visit Cork is here to help you to make sustainable choices when visiting our beautiful city and county. There are lots of small steps you can take to ensure that you are making choices that have a positive impact on the environment and on local communities. 

Here are a few tips on making your visit more sustainable:

- As an island nation, we recognise that many people will need to take a plane to come and visit us. If you are travelling by plane, consider choosing airlines that have an eco-friendly ethos, and perhaps paying a little extra to offset your carbon emissions when you book. 

- Cork Airport successfully achieved Level 3+ ‘Neutrality’ accreditation under the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme, awarded by Airports Council International (ACI) and has committed to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. See more about Cork Airport’s commitment to sustainability here. 

- Consider opting for accommodation providers that have a genuine commitment to sustainability. Hotels in Cork that have a third-party accredited sustainability certification are highlighted here

- Respect nature and our natural environments. Review the Leave No Trace guidelines, which give 7 simple steps to preserving and safeguarding nature, neighbourhoods and communities while you are visiting:  https://www.leavenotraceireland.org/ 

- Use public transport where possible, and opt to walk or cycle wherever you can. Cork City is very compact and walkable and there are many beautiful greenways throughout the City and County that provide offroad paths for walking and cycling, which are ‘zero emissions’ options! Click here more ideas about how to move around the region during your visit   

- Consider buying local products while you are visiting our region. Cork has an abundance of skilled artists and craftspeople and we are renowned for our artisan food and drink producers, so look for Irish products wherever possible and you won’t be disappointed! You can also take part in local workshops, courses, festivals and experiences that will give you a greater understanding of our local heritage and culture, such as Irish music, crafts and sports. Not only will you be leaving some investment in the local community, but you will also decrease your carbon footprint by buying products that are produced locally.

- Finally, if you would like to take a few hours out of your visit to volunteer with a local group or charity, we have compiled a handy guide to volunteering opportunities in Cork

Thank you for being a responsible visitor - we look forward to welcoming you to Cork soon!