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STORY ATU
Storyatu is a collaboration of tourism researchers and experts based at the Atlantic Technological University. The aim of our collaboration is to build on new and existing partnerships with key stakeholders across Ireland and internationally to address local challenges and work towards global solutions. The Atlantic Sustainable Tourism Observatory Ireland (Observatory) hosted by Atlantic Technological University (ATU) became a member of the UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) in November 2023. As Ireland’s first INSTO observatory, the observatory will collaborate closely with tourism destinations along the Atlantic coast, Ireland’s islands, and heartlands.
INSTO is a global network of tourism observatories dedicated to monitoring the economic, environmental, and social impact of tourism at the destination level. This initiative aligns with UN Tourism’s commitment to fostering sustainable and resilient growth in the tourism sector through robust measurement and monitoring practices.
The impact of tourism on climate change urgently requires the data that will inform sustainable change built on established, evidence based sustainable tourism indicators. Tourism destinations need the tools and skills to monitor their transition towards sustainable living and facilitate destination comparison, for evidence-based planning and management. The vision of the observatory is to inform the development of a suite of actions to promote sustainable tourism. The data collected will underpin sustainable tourism policy and provide a toolkit for local authorities, state agencies, managers, community and enterprises to collect valuable data to better inform planning and management of sustainable tourism destinations.