Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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93. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide the 20 oldest and most important locations-sites of historical and archaeological interest throughout the country; the degree to which the sites are marketable for educational and tourism purposes; the number of visitors each receives on an annual basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31947/14]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As part of its responsibilities for the care and maintenance of a significant element of the State's heritage property portfolio, the Commissioner of Public Works manage approximately 780 National Monument and Historic Property sites around the country. These properties include many iconic locations such as the Rock of Cashel or Newgrange which are known both nationally and internationally and attract large numbers of visitors, both domestic and foreign. Approximately 70 of these sites are presented to visitors with guided services, either fulltime or seasonally, and these places form a significant part of the offering in the growing cultural and heritage tourism sector. Apart from guided locations, there are also a large number of other sites in the portfolio which, while they are in State care, do not have guide services provided, although they are perhaps themselves very well known and attract significant numbers of visitors in their own right. Properties in this category would include locations such as the Phoenix Park, St. Stephens Green and the Garden of Remembrance to give three examples. The number of visitors to OPW managed sites is quite significant; approximately 4.2 million visitors were recorded in 2013 to guided sites and, given that many of these visitors are paying for admission, it is clear that this represents a significant element of commercial tourism activity. The figure attending all OPW managed sites is more difficult to quantify, since the vast majority are unattended and therefore accurate numbers are not recorded, but it is reasonable to suggest that the total number is in excess of 15 million annually.

The following are currently the twenty most popular Heritage sites ranked in order of their recorded attendance figures in 2013:

Notwithstanding the primacy of the conservation and education ethos, it is nevertheless clear that the exploitation of heritage sites from a tourism point of view is very important. Recent research has indicated the significance of the cultural and heritage tourism sector and OPW is actively engaging with Failte Ireland in relation to the promotion of our heritage sector with regard to key OPW managed sites in particular. While the sites referenced in the top 20 table provided above are clearly important in this regard, there are some significant capacity constraints evident at certain locations and there is potentially better scope for visitor growth in the next tier of sites, which are currently attracting visitors in the range of approximately 10,000 - 40,000 annually. These sites are less well known but still include many historically important and valuable sites such as Donegal Castle, Ceide Fields, etc.

While the greater attention and focus will inevitably centre on sites with greater footfall and premium services available to visitors, there is also considerable attraction for many visitors in the large number of unattended/unguided sites which have been referred to above. There are possibilities for tourism development in these locations and this remains a significant part of Ireland's tourism offering. The marketing and promotion of these locations will, in large part, entail the provision of better information about the sites and this is being addressed by both the OPW and its partner heritage agency, the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Promotion of these sites will however depend on issues such as provision of better road signage and wayfinding facilities. Recent developments such as the Wild Atlantic Way initiative will help greatly in this regard and will assist in opening up many more sites of interest to independent travellers.