This article is from page 10 of the 2008-01-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A TOP level meeting is going ahead this week to prioritise key tourism marketing actions which are needed immediately and will now be pos- sible as the Government has an- nounced €3 million in funding to meet Open Skies.
Commenting on the Government announcement of the fund, a Shan- non Development spokesperson said, “It is good that we have certainty and commitment for a dedicated fund which will allow us to move forward
without delay and use the funds to implement a top-class North Amer1i- can tourism marketing campaign. As part of the implementation group for the allocation of the funds, Shan- non Development will meet early next week with the other appointed representatives to prioritise a set of key tourism marketing actions which will be undertaken immediately.” The plan, which will result in an an- ticipated €15 to €20 million over the next few years, will be implemented by tourism interests in the region. It incorporates investment in infra-
structure and tourism development in the mid-west, as well as a forward- working plan for the autonomy of Shannon Airport.
This plan was drawn up in consul- tation with a number of Government departments and pays regard to a re- port entitled ‘Mid-West Tourism and Economic Development Plan’ which was submitted by a group under the aegis of the Mid West Regional Au- thority, taking in Clare County Coun- cil, Shannon Development, Shannon Airport Authority (SAA), SIGNAL and IBEC.
Responding to the announcement, SAA Chairman, Mr Pat Shanahan said that the marketing fund is a sig- nificant development in meeting the challenges brought about under the new Open Skies era.
“Shannon Airport Authority wel- comes the Government commitment to invest in a major tourism market- ing strategy to stimulate tourism traf- fic into the west of Ireland through Shannon in the post-Open Skies en- ab KO)eNeelssOLm
“We look forward to working with tourism agencies to ensure the return
from this funding is maximised,” he Sr nKOe
Meanwhile, Clare Deputy, Timmy Dooley also welcomed the funding, stating that Clare will reap economic rewards from commitments outlined in the plan.
“T am delighted that, following a series of discussions with colleagues such as myself in the mid-west, Transport Minister, Noel Dempsey TD and Arts, Sports, and Tourism Minister, Seamus Brennan TD, have come forward with a plan as compre- hensive as this.”