TOURage Good Practice for Senior tourism
ORGANIZATION
ACTIVE RETIREMENT IRELAND
(West Region, Ireland)
www.activeirl.ie
Active Retirement Ireland (ARI) is a national network of over 500 local Active Retirement Associations withover 23,000 members. ARI combats ageism through the reality and everyday work of the self-organised localassociations and the regional councils. ARI has a large voluntary base with local, regional and national voluntarycommittees.ARI ‘s principle aim is to help retired men and women, usually over the age of 50, to lead a full, happy andhealthy retirement by offering organised opportunities for a wide range of activities including holidays, outingsand socials, creative and learning programmes, indoor and outdoor sports and community work. The ARI wasfounded in 1978 and continues to grow year-on-year. There are currently 74 Active Retirement Associations inthe West Region of Ireland.
Objectives:
• To encourage retired men and women to maintain their independence and to participate through the activeretirement movement by social contacts and self-help activities of a cultural, educational and sporting natureaimed at enhancing their quality of life.
• To promote a more positive attitude towards ageing and the retirement process.
• To enable retired people to enjoy a full and active life and advocate for them.
• To be a recognised voice for retired people on social, health, learning and economic issues in collaboration withother organisations.
Results:
Active Retirement Ireland has succeeded in improving the quality of life and further maintaining independence forits members by regularly organising trips to domestic and international locations. These trips include partakingin activities relating to local history, culture, archaeology, art, etc. The local AR groups have become more selfsufficientby booking trips independently and researching locations that would be suitable to visit for older adults.Also, the AR members are more aware of discounts and/or incentives that are available to older adults when theytravel domestically and abroad, e.g. accommodation, food and day excursions.
More information available here
Contacts: E-mail:
Mary Molloy, West Regional Authority
Nuala Mullarney, West Regional Authority