Written answers

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Wild Atlantic Way Project

Photo of Brian WalshBrian Walsh (Galway West, Independent)
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537. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether the Wild Atlantic Way initiative has been a success based on visitor numbers or other indicative metrics since its launch before the summer. [35651/14]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland's first long-distance touring route, stretching along the Atlantic coast from Donegal to West Cork.  Budget 2014 provided €8 million in capital investment for the development of the route to complete route signage, and develop and enhance discovery points on the route as well as other infrastructural works. While the route infrastructure is still being fully developed, the Wild Atlantic Way is a central feature of our overseas promotion through Tourism Ireland in 2014 and I understand that it has been very well received by the overseas tourist trade.  That said, it would be next year before we would expect the route to start getting international recognition and the project is very much an initiative focused on driving sustainable growth over the longer term.

Monitoring systems are being developed to measure the success of the initiative and these will be rolled out as appropriate over time.  While there is a lot of positive anecdotal evidence from businesses along the route about the impact of the initiative, it is too early to start making definitive assessments.  This is an initiative which has the potential to continue being developed, on the ground and for overseas markets, over the next decade or more.

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