Minister Varadkar with Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland and Limerick industry representatives
Tourism in Limerick was firmly on the agenda this week with the arrival of Leo Varadkar Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to Failte Ireland’s new HQ in the Granary, Michael Street. Minister Varadkar met with the local Fáilte Ireland team as well as representatives of tourism in the city.
Speaking today Minister Varadkar said –
“This new Tourism HQ in the Granary will help Limerick to build on the success of The Gathering. Our focus in 2014 and beyond, is developing and promoting the Wild Atlantic Way for Limerick city and county. There will also be a focus on bringing more conferences and conventions to Limerick.
“There is renewed growth at Shannon Airport where passenger numbers on US services grew steadily in its first year of independence, and by 22% in the second half of the year. At the same time, Failte Ireland has gained the tourism expertise of former Shannon Development staff. All these factors should strengthen tourism in the mid-west in the year ahead.”
Looking at the year ahead, Fáilte Ireland is working on a new tourism strategy for Limerick city to guide the development of a new brand as well as the interpretation of the current tourism offering and bringing it to life. Investment in tourism infrastructure across the city and county has been strong over recent years with grant support totalling almost €10 million. A number of significant strategic projects are now completed - including a €6m redevelopment of King Johns, riverside Improvements at Howleys Quay and a €1.6m addition to the existing visitor attraction at Foynes Flying Boat Museum. Support has also been given to tourism projects at Thomond Park and St Mary’s Cathedral.
Meanwhile Fáilte Ireland is working closely at a local level with the organisers of Limerick City of Culture to assist the promotion of the year-long event. For example, the tourism authority is co-ordinating a series of international media trips to Limerick at various stages during the year as well as encouraging international travel operators to feature Limerick in their programmes this year.
Paul Keeley Director with Failte Ireland said 2013 had been a good year for tourism in the region and stressed the importance of the City of Culture programme this year -
“The Mid-West region saw significant – and much deserved – growth in visitor numbers last year and much of this can be attributed to all those local communities who seized on the possibilities offered by Fáilte Ireland’s ‘The Gathering’ initiative. This year, the city has another card to play with the City of Culture programme providing another opportunity to grow local tourism and I’m sure everyone with an interest in tourism will get behind this also.”
In addition, Mr Keeley pointed to the potential in the Wild Atlantic Way, Fáilte Ireland’s new tourism initiative. Mr Keeley stressed –
“The route takes in the Limerick coastline from the Kerry border to Foynes crossing the Shannon estuary at Tarbert to Killimer in Co Clare. Limerick City is a key gateway for visitors and given its proximity to Shannon International Airport will be an obvious starting point for the touring route.”
Finally, the Minister emphasised that he was pleased to see that Fáilte Ireland is also currently engaging in a fundamental revamp of the way Limerick presents itself to holidaymakers and that the agency is currently in the course of completing a comprehensive tourism framework for Limerick City and its surrounding areas.
Minister Varadkar emphasised –
“It is essential, if we are to grow local tourism, that we work to bring Limerick to life for tourists by identifying the tourism strengths of the city and develop a blueprint for promoting them better. This means asking some searching questions – what are the main themes and stories of the area; how do these relate to key locations, sites and discovery points; and how could these be best be brought to life for visitors? I encourage all those interested in growing local tourism to work with Fáilte Ireland in this endeavour.”
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ENDS
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Note for Editor
Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority, was established in 2003 to guide and promote tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy.
The tourism and hospitality industry employs an estimated 185,000 people and generates almost €5.7 billion in revenue a year.
Some interesting facts about visitors to Limerick
With over eight out of ten businesses recording overseas visitor growth and visitor numbers up an estimated 8%, the Mid-West region was encouraged by a good tourism year in 2013. Much of this growth was driven by The Gathering with over 190 events in county Limerick alone and the types of events included family, school, business and group reunions as well as cultural, activity and historical celebrations. The improved performance in Limerick and the Mid-West was discussed on Thursday (Jan 30th) as Fáilte Ireland met with tourism interests for the Shannon Region at the tourism authority’s new offices in The Granary on Michael Street in Limerick city.
A Fáilte Ireland survey of domestic and overseas holidaymakers, who visited the region between May and October 2013, also showed that the friendliness and value to be found in the Shannon Region were stand-out features of a trip to the area. The most popular reason for visiting the region was the history and culture on offer while the availability of outdoor activities also featured strongly. Hotels were the most popular accommodation choice followed by B&Bs.
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