This article is from page 2 of the 2006-07-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
A MASSIVE €53 million needs to be spent in the next three years on selling and developing the Shannon region if the airport and tourism interests are to survive Open Skies.
At risk is tourism and business revenue worth €900 million.
These are among the main conclusions of a specially commissioned report which will be handed over to Transport Minister, Martin Cullen, today. In December 2005, it was agreed that the Mid-West Regional Authority would co-ordinate and prepare a submission on the tourism and economic development priorities for the Shannon Airport catchment area. This was in the wake of the announcement that Open Skies is on the way.
Also involved were Clare County Council, Shannon Development, Shannon Airport Authority, the SIGNAL airport workers lobby group and IBEC Mid-West.
The study revealed that tourism earnings are 275 per cent more important in the Shannon region than they are in Dublin.
And the authority wants to see a five-year action plan drawn up and implemented immediately to avoid massive losses.
Hugely improved road, rail and bus access is “critical” to the future of the Clare airport and thousands of businesses whose lifeblood it is.
The report also calls for the building of a major conference centre close to the airport.
“Shannon is a key driver for economic, tourism and industrial development for the Western Region,” the report, titled the Mid West Tourism and Economic Development Plan, says.
The plan’s proposals, if acted on, will “ensure Shannon’s continued viability in the light of the introduction of the EU-US ‘Open Skies’ agreement”, according to the executive summary in the report.
The Minister is in Shannon today to be presented with a copy of the document.
Among the findings are that the region’s critical infrastructure requirements need to be fast tracked and a five-year action plan needs to be implemented immediately to create an independent and financially viable airport. A tourism promotional fund of €44m must be provided for the relevant tourism agencies and a route support fund of €9m must be provided for existing and new services.
The target for Shannon has to be to secure a 30 per cent share of the direct transatlantic market between North America and the airport needs an extension to its US Custom and Immigration facility. The plan recommends that a full-clearance pilot programme be implemented before the end of 2007.