This article is from page 86 of the 2008-07-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 86 JPG
PEOPLE involved in the tourism business in east Clare have been celebrating, having — successfully completed a rural tourism course. The participants in the course were drawn from various sectors and were presented with their certificates at a special ceremony.
Meanwhile, the east Clare tourism organisation has welcomed the de- cision to extend the boundary of a tourism tax incentive scheme to take in the Lough Derg area as far as Kil- EW eyon
‘Tourism is an important part of our rural economy and we need eve- ry support we can get, particularly in the current challenging climate so
we were very pleased that this part of Clare is now included and quali- fies under the scheme,’ said Teresa Browne of the East Clare Tourism.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen has just launched a new tax relief scheme for certain tourism facilities in the mid-Shannon area which includes areas in counties Clare, Tipperary, Offaly, Galway, Roscommon and Westmeath.
The scheme is being managed by Failte Ireland and Shannon De- velopment. Projects eligible under the new scheme include; education tourism facilities, visitor attractions, cultural facilities, wellness and self development facilities and amenities, facilities for water-sports activities, outdoor activity centres, equestrian
facilities, certain restaurants and cafés, boat rental and inland cruising facilities, training facilities for ad- venture centres and registered holi- day camps. They can be new projects or refurbishment to existing ones.
Relief is available by way of capital allowances over seven years for qual- ifying construction and refurbish- ment expenditure. Capital allowance will be granted at a rate of I5 per cent per year for the first six years and 10 per cent for the seventh year. The qualifying period of the scheme is three years, but applications must be made within one year of the start of the scheme.
During the launch event the Taoi- seach announced a new board to assess projects submitted under the
new scheme. The board includes John King and Joan Reynolds, both of Shannon Development.
Full details on the new scheme can be found in guidelines issued by the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tour- ism in consultation with the Muinis- ter for Finance which can be viewed and downloaded at www.arts-sports- tourism.gov.ie, www.shannondevel- opment.ie; and www.failteireland.ie.