This article is from page 22 of the 2012-09-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
AN INDEPENDENT Shannon Airport is crucial to redressing the imbalance in tourism numbers between the East and West of Ireland, a meeting has heard. The comment was made yesterday at a meeting of Clare County Council’s Community, Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).
Committee chairman, Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) said the airport must be marketed as a “point of entry” for tourism in the west of Ireland.
He added, “We’re going back to the days when we were reliant on tourism and agriculture…we have to arrest decline of visitor numbers.”
He was speaking during a presentation on the Wild Atlantic Way – a new tourism drive from Fáilte Ireland aimed at re-packaging and promoting the west coast of Ireland.
Director of Service Ger Dollard told the meeting that the initiative is aimed at increasing visitor numbers and increasing the movement of tourists around the west of Ireland.
Last week a majority of councillors backed a motion calling for a clear plan for Shannon Airport to be in place by the end of September.
Cllr PJ Ryan (Ind) said a decision on the airport is vital to the tourism industry in the region.
He added, “If it’s a thing that the American soldiers pull out of Shannon, we’ll have no traffic at all.” He said “aggressive marketing” of the airport is required.
Flann Quilligan of Shannon Development said that discussions are underway to separate Shannon from its parent body, the Dublin Airport Authority. He said the seperation would end the “stifling” of the airport.
Mr Quilligan added, “It is not happening as fast as we would like but it is happening.”
The meeting heard that € 2 million would be allocated to local authorities along the route for signage and other infrastructure.
Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) said the initiative was welcome as the region is “undervalued and underutilised”.
Ennis hotelier John Madden said the venture would fail if not marketed properly. He said many tourists coming to Ireland “don’t have a clue” about many of the towns and areas in the West of Ireland.
He told the meeting that in recent months he had noticed an increase in the number of tourists visiting Ireland to trace their family roots.
Mr Quilligan told the meeting that Fáilte Ireland are aiming to place the Wild Atlantic Way on a par as internationally known scenic areas such as Australia’s Great Coast Road.
Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said he hoped the entire Clare coastline would be included on the route.
Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) urged Fáilte Ireland not to concentrate solely on international visitors at the expense of Irish tourists.