This article is from page 17 of the 2014-08-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
THE Clare tourism sector is leading the economic recovery in the county with tourism providers from all over the county reporting significant increases in numbers this summer.
The Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience is set to shatter the 1 million visitor mark in 2014 – recording a nine per cent jump in tourist number so far this year. Coming on the back of a 14 per cent increase last year the North Clare tourist attraction is on course to take in 1,056,150 visitors this year, if current trends continue.
This massive increase could puts the Cliffs of Moher on course to become Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction – with Dublin Zoo and the Guinness Storehouse both likely to record similar visitor numbers for 2014.
Loophead Lighthouse has also seen a five per cent jump in tourism numbers with just under 17,879 people have visited the 19th century lighthouse since it was opened for the summer period in April.
According to figures compiled by Clare County Council, 57 per cent of these visitors were from Ireland, with North America, Germany and the United Kingdom accounting for 10 per cent, 9 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.
The White Tailed Eagle Viewing and Information Point in Mountshannon has also proven a large draw this year with 7,626 tourists visiting the eagles between July 4 and August 21.
This facility is being operated by the Mountshannon Eagle Group, Mountshannon Community Council and the Golden Eagle Trust and was funded by Clare County Council.
Visitor increases at the Cliffs of Moher have been driven in part by the new routes servicing Shannon Airport.
“We noticed an immediate im- pact when the new European routes started to Shannon Airport in April, especially from the German market and additional ferry services from France to Cork have also added to French family self-drive numbers,” said Katherine Webster of the Cliffs of Moher.
“We’re also delighted to see that British holiday makers seem to have rediscovered the west of Ireland and after a lengthy absence are here in numbers. We are confident that the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience will exceed the symbolic one million figure before the end of 2014.”
The Wild Atlantic Way has been credited as one of the driving forces behind the increase.
“The launch of the Wild Atlantic Way, the development of new services at Shannon Airport, and the upgrading of visitor facilities at the lighthouse have been significant contributory factors to the growth in visitors. There is a noticeable increase in visitors from Germany and North America with the French and Italian markets also appearing particularly strong,” said Kathy Lordan of Clare County Council.
“The success of the Loophead Lighthouse visitor project is indicative of the wider Peninsula’s increasing popularity as a sustainable, visitor destination.”