Fáilte Ireland aims to position the Wild Atlantic Way among the top five touring routes globally within the next eight years which would likely see visitor numbers soar to the region.

Connemara National Park is to benefit from a €1.5m project creating 8km of new trails with a new entrance opposite Kylemore Abbey, while a new €600,000 interpretative centre at Dun Aonghusa and a €3m immersive visitor centre with a café and picnic area are planned for Inis Mór.

The overhauled interactive Galway City Museum costing over €6m is the single biggest investment by the agency in the next two years across the city and county.

Miriam Kennedy, Head of the Wild Atlantic Way, said the route had contributed over €3 billion annually – €2b of it from overseas tourists – and supported 121,000 jobs.

“Our ambition is to position the Wild Atlantic Way among the top five touring routes globally by 2033. To help achieve this in a sustainable manner, our plans include a range of capital investment projects to create new iconic attractions, enhance existing experiences and continue focusing on initiatives and programmes that showcase, celebrate and safeguard the wildness and cultural authenticity of our west coast and its communities.”

In a briefing on the Wild Atlantic Way watched by 1,000 stakeholders online, the serious challenges faced by the sector were highlighted.

Over two-thirds (68%) of operators in the region had increased their costs to visitors last year to meet the cost-of-living hikes.

Worryingly, half of food and beverage outlets who took part in the poll from this part of the country reported a loss – that compares with 16% of other tourism businesses.

Caption: Miriam Kennedy, Head of the Wild Atlantic Way.

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