Tag Archives: Wild Atlantic Way

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 …

A public representative has called for Lahinch to be taken off the Wild Atlantic Way, in what he described as an “extreme” response to a lack of adequate public toilets in the seaside resort. “It is time the council peed or got off the pot, we are eight years waiting for toilets,” Councillor Bill Slattery told a meeting of the West Clare Municipal District on Tuesday. The Fine Gael councillor had called for an updated report on plans to provide “much-needed toilet and shower facilities on Lahinch Promenade”. “The present facilities are sub-standard and totally unacceptable,” he said, highlighting that Clare County Council disposed of the old toilet block for a figure in excess of €400,000, with a commitment that the money would be ring-fenced for the provision of a new facility. Councillor Slattery claimed, “The toilets had to close on Monday at 4pm, the Monday of a bank holiday weekend, because the pipe was all backed up. The sewer …

Over 500 Irish trade, including tourism businesses from Clare, recently attended Meitheal, Ireland’s largest travel trade fair, organised by Fáilte Ireland, in the RDS Dublin. This event is a central date in the tourism industry calendar, allowing the Irish tourism industry to actively grow its business in countries from around the world – with delegates from as far afield as Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Meitheal provides a valuable opportunity to forge even stronger commercial relations between local tourism providers and the international travel trade. With interest in visiting Ireland growing, our appeal remains strong and we now offer better value than for many years. Thanking the Clare tourism trade for attending Meitheal, Fáilte Ireland CEO Shaun Quinn commented, “Tourism is in robust health and we expect growth to continue this year. However, we are not complacent and the face to face meetings that took place with the Clare trade who attended Meitheal, …

A COMBINATION of good weather, the Wild Atlantic Way and a public holiday saw huge numbers of people flock to the Clare coast at the weekend. Tourism providers across the county are reporting one of the busiest Easter weekends in recent years. One prominent hotelier said it was “more like August than April”, which meant that seasonal staff could be hired over a month earlier than usual. Attractions across the county also recorded high visitor numbers, with the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre, Bunratty Folk Park and Craggaunowen all recording increases this year compared to last. “It was a super weekend,” John Burke from the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point and Hotel Doolin stated. “We had a surge in customer numbers. People just want to flock to the coast to cool down and it was great to see it pick up so early in the season. It has allowed us to recruit earlier in the year. Normally, seasonal staff wouldn’t …

A new television series on the Wild Atlantic Way is expected to have an audience of 15 million British viewers when it airs on ITV in the coming weeks. Wild Ireland is fronted by renowned TV personality, Christine Bleakley, who explores the highlights of the world’s longest continuous coastal route by driving, cycling, hiking, swimming and kayaking her way from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in Cork. The first of six 30-minute episodes will premier on British TV screens on Monday, April 13. Viewers in Ireland can tune in on UTV Ireland weekly from Wednesday, April 15 at 9pm. Behind the project is Louth-based Big Mountain Productions, run by husband and wife team, Philip McGovern and Jane Kelly, who specialise in creating original format TV series. At the launch, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said, “The Wild Atlantic Way is 2,500 kilometres of the most captivating coastal scenery you will ever lay eyes on, which is why it is attracting …

ENNIS hotelier Paul Madden has been appointed as the chair of Clare Tourism, the group responsible for the marketing and promotion of the Banner County at home and abroad. Mr Madden, who is general manager of the Temple Gate Hotel and a founding member of Clare Tourism, assumes the role held by Donnagh Gregson since 2013. Speaking to The Clare Champion following his election, Mr Madden said the marketing and promotion arm of the body will focus on increasing the number of visitors staying overnight in the county. “We have a fantastic tourism product in Clare. We are on the Wild Atlantic Way and we have a great showcase coming to Ennis with Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann next year, so we need to use it to our best advantage,” Mr Madden said. “We are fortunate that we are on the Wild Atlantic Way and we have some major stop-off points that contribute to the experience of travelling from Donegal to Kerry. …

Fáilte Ireland met members of the Clare tourism industry in the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, on Thursday, as part of a series of briefings, with a focus on the Wild Atlantic Way. This year, the national tourism authority will be upping the ante with a mixture of further developments for the attraction and greater promotion to key overseas markets. Last year, Fáilte Ireland invested €10 million rolling out the route, which stretches from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork and instantly the new attraction garnered significant interest overseas. Over its first year in existence, Fálte Ireland has been working to further develop the Wild Atlantic Way and has made significant progress to date. A signage plan has been implemented for the entire route and all the directional signage along the route has been in place since the end of May 2014. At the briefing Fiona Monaghan, Fáilte Ireland’s head of the Wild Atlantic Way, said 2015, …

Clare is poised to benefit from the upsurge in tourism activity, with 2015 set to become a bumper year for the industry. That’s according to chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs Pat Breen. The Clare deputy pointed out that the tourism sector in Clare has experienced growth thanks to the revival of Shannon Airport, the abolition of the Air Travel Tax and the retention of the reduced VAT on tourism services. “Our tourism industry is experiencing rapid growth and according to Bord Fáilte, the number of visitors will grow again next year with 2015  set to become a bumper year for tourism with record levels of revenue expected and the creation of a further 8,000 jobs in the industry,” he outlined. Deputy Breen said the promotion of The Wild Atlantic Way has been a major success with the opening of the lighthouse in Loop Head helping to drive tourists back into West Clare. “The Loop Head Peninsula received …