This article is from page 6 of the 2011-11-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
MORE THE € 60,000 has been allocated to two separate eco-tourism projects in north Clare. It is hoped that the announcement, which was made by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar (FG), in Clare on Friday, could have a large impact in helping to improve the Burren’s status as Ireland home for eco-tourism.
Funding of € 51,315 has been approved for a series of heritage walking trails in the Burren area. It is hoped that this funding will help to improve the existing walking and cycling infrastructure in the area. A further € 10,000 has also been allocated towards the further development of the existing cycle route in Doolin.
The € 60,000 was announced alongside seven other tourism projects for outside Clare whose combined budgets reach almost € 6.6 million. While the allocation for eco-tourism projects in Clare in comparatively small, locals hope that it can have a big impact.
“This is a great announcement and a huge benefit for north Clare. Walking tourism is getting bigger and bigger all the time – it is an area that is on the up and something that we can capatalise on up here in north Clare,” said Tony Kirby, owner of Heart of the Burren Walks and member of the Burren Eco-tourism Network.
“Walking tourism fits in very well with the idea of eco-tourism. It is about people coming and spending a real amount of time getting to know Clare and the people here. It is about giving them a fuller experience of the county and benefiting the local economy by having them stay here for a longer period.”
Earlier this years the Burren was officially designated as Ireland second certified eco-tourism destinations. A host of representatives from the local tourism industry have been working for more than three years to be trained and certified to take part in the Burren Eco-tourism Network.
The network has been going from strength to strength since it’s inception and more than 40 new members are currently being trained to become members of the Burren Ecotourism Network.