Tag Archives: Fáilte Ireland

THE business community in Ennistymon has been expressing its concern over the reduction of up to 16 parking spaces from the town centre. The matter was raised by Councillor Shane Talty at the July meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, who said he had been hearing of “huge trepidation” among retailers. Under a Part 8 planning application to revitalise Main Street in the town, 14-16 spaces will be removed with the council proposing to expand pedestrian facilities and increase street furniture. Councillor Talty said that while the Part 8, which is to be lodged later this year, was widely welcomed, an alternative town centre parking is needed. “We have a historic problem with congestion,” Councillor Talty noted. “There has been a welcome increase in the number of businesses opening, with one business from Parnell Street in Ennis recently relocating to Ennistymon. We have a very vibrant town, but I’m hearing of huge trepidation at the prospect of a reduction …

TOURISM in Ennistymon is set to take a major step forward as a number of enhancement projects are ear-marked to tie in with the development of its status as a Fáilte Ireland Destination Town. Last December, the tourism body announced that €500,000 would be issued, in two rounds, in order to boost the town’s attractiveness to visitors. The aim is to capitalise on the huge numbers travelling to North Clare attractions like the Cliffs of Moher and to entice them to spend more time and money in the town. At the June meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Councillor Shane Talty urged the council to tackle the “low-hanging fruit” and examine projects that might be completed in conjunction with the Destination Town works. “The Fáilte Ireland funding will deliver a very welcome post-Covid boost for Main Street, Ennistymon, later this year,” the Fianna Fáil member noted. As an example of a project that might be tackled, Councillor Talty highlighted …

A NORTH Clare councillor has been sharply critical of the decision by Fáilte Ireland not to erect Wild Atlantic Way signage in Miltown Malbay. Councillor Róisín Garvey told the June meeting of the West Clare Municipal District that sometimes local authority members knew better than Fáilte Ireland when it came to tourism development projects. In response to the Green Party member calling for Miltown, “the real gateway to West Clare” to be put on the route, using new signage, the tourism authority said it had no plans to do so. A written reply to Councillor Garvey’s motion from Miriam Kennedy, Head of the Wild Atlantic Way, said it was felt that Miltown was already part of the destination marketing plan. “Being on or adjacent to the Wild Atlantic Way,” Ms Kennedy said, “offers destinations an opportunity to influence the visitor’s travel patterns as they navigate along the route and given Miltown Malbay’s immediate proximity to the route, it is considered …

TOURISM operators in East Clare have said they remain cautiously optimistic in the face of the ongoing Covid-19 lock-down, which has brought the sector to a standstill for now. The season would normally begin around Easter, and tourism providers are currently coping with a raft of cancelled tour bookings, as well as the shelving of key events and activities. Hope is being drawn, however, from the anticipated demand for ‘staycation’ breaks once the restrictions on movement are lifted, and from the development of key projects including the River Shannon Tourism Master Plan 2020-2030, which is currently in draft form and open for public submissions. “A good season in East Clare would be starting around Easter,” noted Arlene White, Chairperson of Tourism East Clare. “What we are now seeing instead is the cancellation of bookings for months ahead. It’s very tough for everyone, but we understand the need for the restrictions and we are hoping that 2020 won’t be a complete …

Clare is being “poorly served” by the tourism industry, according to Kilkee-based business man and tourism consultant Cillian Murphy, while he believes the county should strive to attract fewer tourists but more bed nights. Mr Murphy has also suggested that the county is not benefiting sufficiently from the more than one million annual visitors to the Cliffs of Moher, with thousands of tourists arriving on a tour bus and then leaving after their visit without spending a bob. The former chairman of Loop Head Tourism believes Clare should not try to increase visitor numbers but should seek to provide more accommodation options across the county. “We do not necessarily need to attract more visitors. The marketing of Clare has been exceptional and has delivered ever-increasing numbers of visitors over the past 20 years. Our problem is we are not reaping the rewards in terms of the local economic benefits in our rural and coastal economies, such as local job opportunities. …

Six German journalists will engage in a press trip along the Wild Atlantic Way over the next few days to enjoy a bespoke itinerary of a selection of gardens which will give a major boost in counties Clare, Galway and Limerick. These influential media have a combined circulation of over 1 million and write for a number of national and regional newspapers in Germany. As guests of Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, the group will get to see for themselves some amazing gardens and things to do along the Wild Atlantic Way. During their visit the group will meet members of the Irish Seed Savers Association which was set up to safeguard hundreds of heritage vegetable seeds at Capparoe in Scariff, and will pay a visit to Caher Bridge Garden in Fanore and take the Burren Walk with environmentalist Gordon D’Arcy. Ciara Sugrue, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of International Publicity, stressed the importance of international media coverage. “Welcoming media, such as …

THE Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience is now Ireland’s second-best performing tourist attraction after Fáilte Ireland this week published the list of Ireland’s best performing tourism attractions in 2016. The North Clare tourist attraction experienced the most growth in the top five Irish attractions, having jumped by 14% to 1,427,166 visitors in 2016. The most popular fee-paying attraction remains the Guinness Storehouse, which experienced a 10% jump in visitors last year, welcoming 1.6m visitors through the gates. Fáilte Ireland’s annual list of Ireland’s top visitor attractions details the attractions registering strong growth, which is reflective of the strong tourism growth experienced during 2016. Among Ireland’s free-to-enter attractions, the National Gallery of Ireland continues to lead the way with numbers up 5% to more than 755,000. The top five fee-paying attractions during 2016 were Guinness Storehouse; Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience; Dublin Zoo, 1,143,908 (+3%); National Aquatic Centre, 1,037,992 (+4.5%) and the Book of Kells, 890,781 (+6%). Another Clare attraction features …

Fáilte Ireland has revealed plans to win €157 million in business tourism for Ireland in 2017. To do so, businesses in the sector will be supported to convert a significant amount of international corporate, incentive and association conference business leads from a €330 million pool of good possibilities identified by the tourism authority. The Fáilte Ireland plans were delivered at a top level industry briefing for people in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) sector, in Dublin. Attendees, including representatives from the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau, heard that the tourism authority will this year identify 550 leads for industry partners – a 10% increase on 2016. Paul Keeley, director of business development, emphasised the importance and strength of the business tourism and events sector in Ireland. “The generation of leads with the potential to secure conference business that delivers a higher number of delegates per conference, and therefore greater economic value, is the central focus for Fáilte …