Wexford turning purple to boost night economy

PREPARATIONS to have Wexford receive international recognition for its thriving night-time economy are going full steam ahead in advance of judging this Saturday.

Wexford Chamber working with Wexford County Council are currently in the final stages of gaining international accreditation under The Purple Flag Initiative for Excellence in the Evening and Night-time Economy.

Madeleine Quirke, CEO Wexford Chamber, said: ‘ The Purple Flag has a strong footing in Ireland and a number of towns across the country have already been successfully awarded this prestigious international accreditation which is the ‘gold standard’ for night-time destinations.

‘Like Blue Flag for beaches, places that meet the stringent criteria of this initiative can proudly fly the Purple Flag. Wexford, we hope, is next in line to be recognised as delivering excellence in terms of our nighttime offering.’

Angie Laffan, District Manager, Wexford Borough, said: ‘Opportunities for the use of this accreditation in tourism promotions are numerous and there is a connect between other Purple Flag towns and cities throughout Ireland, the UK and across the newly launched Swedish and Canadian programmes.’

At the core of the application procedure for the Purple Flag Award is an evaluation of the evening and night-time economy by the town stakeholders themselves.

This is designed to strengthen collaboration and awareness of the issues, as well as the positive aspects of the experience in the location between 5pm and 5am. Following this process, the Association of Town and City Management visit the town and assess its suitability for accreditation and this will happen on Saturday from 5 pm until late.

The Purple Flag accreditation is based on five sets of criteria that town centres must meet in order to obtain the award. These are well-being in terms of safety and care, movement meaning transport and car parking, appeal of restaurants, bars, other venues including arts and culture, place in terms of location and design and most importantly policy envelope which shows a collaboration between sectors, agencies, service providers and policy-makers.

Madeline is encouraging all the retailers along the Main Street and all along the Quay to welcome this initiative and to adopt the colour purple for the day. ‘Anything that you can do to create awareness around the Purple Flag for Wexford will be very much appreciated and could make a difference to our bid’, she added.

If you would like more information about the Purple Flag please contact Wexford Chamber on 053 91 22226.