Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Troy for taking this question which asks about the designation of the heart of Ireland tourism area, a mistake I am sure he would not have made if he had drafted the question.

As the Deputy may be aware, development of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, including its geographical boundaries, was the responsibility of Fáilte Ireland rather than the Department and it was supported in this task by indepth research.  The brand was designed to service those areas not covered by the existing regional tourism experience brands, in particular, those areas of the midlands whose primary tourism asset is the Shannon and also the areas to the west of the Shannon not serviced by the Wild Atlantic Way. Although Ireland's Ancient East continues to include all areas east of the Shannon, I am advised by Fáilte Ireland that it included a small overlap area for the new midlands brand to the east of the Shannon to allow for the development of riverside walking and cycling trails and access to the Shannon navigation from the eastern banks.  Nonetheless, each brand experience has a very different focus, with separate and distinct unifying themes and experiences.

As regards the brand elements, including the name, logo and what this new tourism experience brand stands for, Fáilte Ireland developed these following extensive research with consumers in Ireland, the USA, the UK, Germany and France and with reference to key Irish and international benchmark offerings. As part of this process, Fáilte Ireland interviewed over 10,000 consumers through which it received valuable insights that gave it strong confidence that the brand focus and related offering - Active in Nature - has the potential to be both appealing and motivating to visitors.

Given its responsibility for its development, I have asked Fáilte Ireland to reply directly to the Deputy in regard to the criteria by which it designated the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands region. The Deputy should please contact my private office if he has not received a reply within ten working days. The detail of this is a matter for specialists in Fáilte Ireland but I can supply it if they do not provide the information to the Deputy.

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