Ennistymon in Co. Clare has been earmarked for significant funding by Fáilte Ireland to develop its tourism potential as part of the Destination Towns scheme.
The funding will be allocated through Clare County Council as part of the €15.5million ‘Destination Towns’ initiative launched earlier this year by the National Tourism Development Authority.
Up to €500,000 per local authority across the country will be allocated in two rounds by Fáilte Ireland to boost the attractiveness and tourism appeal of towns nationwide. The process of identifying the towns that receive funding commenced in mid-2019 and was led by the Local Authorities in consultation with Fáilte Ireland.
The second round of allocations*, which includes Ennistymon, will take place early in Spring 2020 when further developmental work has concluded with Clare County Council.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin T.D confirmed that every county in Ireland will benefit and the first round of allocations will take place from January.
The Fáilte Ireland scheme is part of the National Tourism Development Authority’s work to drive a better regional spread of overseas and domestic visitors and spend.
Through the scheme1, which was launched earlier this year, every Local Authority in the country had the opportunity to bid for funding of up to €500,000 to develop a town in the county to enable it to improve its tourism offering and make itself more attractive to visitors. The Local Authorities will also provide funding for their projects.
With Fáilte Ireland research consistently showing that attractive towns and cities are key motivators for overseas holidaymakers coming to Ireland2, the new scheme will provide funding to Councils to enhance public spaces such as squares, streetscapes and markets in a way that will engage tourists and enhance their experience in key towns.
This could include spaces for food and craft markets, areas for town centre events, public art displays as well as orientation and signage to help visitors explore a town’s local heritage.
Fáilte Ireland’s CEO Paul Kelly said: “The towns which reap the greatest benefits from tourism and schemes like Destination Towns are those where all local tourism players work together – from Local Authorities and businesses to the communities themselves, each complementing another’s efforts to create a full and appealing offering for their area. A core focus of Fáilte Ireland’s work is to drive a greater regional spread of visitors and revenue across the country. Initiatives like our Destination Towns scheme are critical in doing this by boosting the tourism appeal of destinations across Ireland. We’re delighted with the support from the Local Authorities and we would like to thank them for their work in putting forward such compelling cases for investment.”
Fáilte Ireland’s Destination Towns scheme is funded under the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 strategy with the aim of driving sustainable growth in the Irish tourism sector and higher revenue and job creation around Ireland.
