Limerick to become part of the Wild Atlantic Way

Limerick is to be linked with the Wild Atlantic Way thanks to a new tourism strategy.

It is hoped that the strategy will attract over a million visitors and generate โ‚ฌ300 million to the local economy.

Minister of State for Tourism and Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick Oโ€™Donovan said: โ€œWe are delighted to introduce the Limerick Tourism Statement of Strategy. Tourism is a vital contributor to Limerickโ€™s economy and this strategy will provide a roadmap for tourism development in Limerick City and County over the next five years.

โ€œI am delighted to announce that Fรกilte Ireland will examine, as part of the Wild Atlantic Way strategy for 2015-2019, the development of a series of loops off the Wild Atlantic Way to encourage greater spread of visitors, alleviate pressure from high traffic areas and present complementary visitor experiences.

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โ€œFรกilte Ireland will identify opportunities to present the regionโ€™s cultural and sporting heritage to visitors, in line with key strategic areas such as the Wild Atlantic Way and Business Tourism and Events.

He continued: โ€œAt present there are 709,000 combined overseas and domestic visitors to Limerick annually generating โ‚ฌ206 million in revenue for the local economy.

โ€œTourism is a large employment sector in Limerick with approximately 8,000 people employed in over 850 enterprises in the tourism industry.

โ€œThe aim of this Tourism Strategy is to consistently grow annual tourism visitor numbers to over one million for Limerick and increase visitor revenue to over โ‚ฌ300 million per annum.

โ€œWe want to make Limerick a โ€˜must-visitโ€™ destination for both domestic and international visitors.

โ€œWe look forward to the implementation of the strategy in the coming years which will maximise Limerickโ€™s potential as a tourism destination, thereby supporting job creation, investment opportunities, and economic growth.

โ€œOverall, this strategy statement will enable us to connect to national brands, increase visitor stay, address seasonality issues, work with Shannon Airport and all tourism trade partners on marketing channels, develop new tourism products, deliver new festival and events, and help Limerick to exploit all its tourism assets, especially the River Shannon.