Clare groups bid for gold

Clare will be going for gold on Thursday night as the county is well represented in the shortlist for the inaugural Shannon Group European Sport Tourism Awards.

Clare Local Development Company – Get Sidetracked is shortlisted for one of the key awards as it goes head to head with Limerick and Mayo for National Sport Tourism Destination Marketing award. The award will recognise excellence in the overall marketing approach by national regional or local destinations.

Clare has also made the shortlist of one of the most hotly contested categories, with the Pink Ribbon Walk,which is held in Killaloe on June 28th, competing with the likes of the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle and the Cycle Against Suicide for the Charity Sport Tourism Event Award.

There is also recognition for the Wild Atlantic Way, a large swathe of which runs through Clare, as it is shortlisted in the European Sport Tourism Destination Marketing Award, while the increasingly popular Tour de Burren is shortlisted in the Regional Sport Tourism Event of the Year category.

The awards, which will be held in King John’s Castle, Limerick on Thursday night, are a key element of the annual Shannon Airport European Sport Tourism Summit, which will be held for the second year running in Limerick on Thursday and Friday.

The summit is one of the leading annual global think-tanks for the sport tourism sector – the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry, currently expanding at a rate of 14% per annum compared to the healthy growth of 5% in traditional tourism.