Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the plans that are in place to promote the Famine walkway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3660/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Fáilte Ireland is working with its project partners to develop a strong pipeline of exciting new or significantly improved visitor experiences. The National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park House is a key visitor experience in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, encouraging domestic and international visitors to come and explore Strokestown and the surrounding area, and generating significant economic benefits for the local community.

Officially opened in October 2022, the National Famine Museum benefitted from a Fáilte Ireland grant of €3.9 million and is expected to attract 115,000 visitors annually. This is expected to generate an additional €25 million for the local economy within ten years of opening. This Museum is a valuable and sustainable resource, which will act as a centre for knowledge and learning for this generation and the next.

This has been one of Fáilte Ireland's largest investments in a visitor attraction to date. The National Famine Museum also represents the start of the historical National Famine Way, a walking and cycling trail that follows in the footsteps of the 1,490 people who were forced to emigrate from the Strokestown Estate in 1847. The trail links Strokestown with Dublin along the flat and well-surfaced paths by the Royal Canal.

In 2022, Fáilte Ireland provided a number of supports to the National Famine Way team. These supports assisted the National Famine Way team in developing a robust sales and marketing plan both offline and online to target domestic and international walking markets.

These supports provided:

- A clear focus on target markets, both domestic and international, and how to target them;

- Priorities across messaging and priority content to maximise effectiveness of plan;

- A focus on the media channels to drive both online and offline sales;

- Clear action plans to include timelines, key performance indicators and ownership to deliver the objectives; and

- Messaging to target domestic and international walking markets.

In 2023, the National Famine Way Team has been invited to participate in a broader destination development initiative, the Greenway Activation Programme. This programme offers an exceptional opportunity for tourism businesses to optimise the tourism potential of Greenways, including those along the Royal Canal, improving the visitor experience and their commercial performance. As part of this programme, Greenway partners will be supported through training and skills development and delivery of a promotional campaign.