Successful five years for Cliffs centre

The Mayor of Clare, Councillor Pat Hayes, joined tourism interests from around the region to mark the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre’s fifth anniversary on Wednesday.

A series of celebratory events took place at the visitor centre throughout the day, while Mayor Hayes also launched the 2012 Cliffs of Moher multilingual brochure and map.
Construction of the state-of-the-art underground visitor centre building and associated site facilities commenced after Clare County Council awarded a €22 million contract in 2005. The contract provided for the construction of the new centre, the upgrading of walkways and viewing areas along the cliff edge, site landscaping and ancillary works.  
The development, which was part-financed through the European Regional Development Fund under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, was officially opened in February 2007. Since then, the iconic O’Brien’s Tower has been reopened, having undergone restoration and conservation works.
Mayor Hayes said the new centre and associated facilities have greatly enhanced the overall visitor experience at the Cliffs of Moher. He said the project has given County Clare and the wider region a significant economic boost through the generation of full-time and seasonal employment, as well the knock-on effects for other tourism interests.
“This flagship tourism project has performed exceptionally well during recent years when tourism as a whole across Ireland and the world has experienced considerable difficulties. This achievement is a tribute to each of the partner agencies involved in the delivery of this project and of course the staff of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience and their innovative and progressive approach to promoting one of Ireland’s finest tourism assets,” the mayor commented.
Katherine Webster, director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience reiterated her comments reported in last week’s Clare Champion that visitor numbers exceeded all expectations despite the general downturn in the domestic economy and the global tourism sector.
“The Cliffs of Moher have continued to perform strongly in comparison to other leading Irish tourism destinations, which is a testament to their long-standing international reputation and of course the improved facilities that have been delivered at the site in recent years. The growth in domestic visitor numbers is also very encouraging,” she continued.
Ms Webster noted the strong performance of the visitor attraction had been achieved in part through high-profile media coverage.