This article is from page 9 of the 2006-08-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 9 JPG
ONE of Clare’s best-known tourist facilities continues to sustain losses, accounts filed to the Companies Office show.
The accounts returned by Kilkee Waterworld Ltd highlight the company’s growing losses where during 2004 its losses increased from €666,000 to €753,000 at year-end.
Earlier this year, Kilkee Waterworld received an allocation of €55,000 from Clare County Council to ease its financial worries. However, it was facing a deadline of the end of February to file its accounts of face being struck off.
The company avoided the strike-off and Director of Kilkee Waterworld and Clare County Council member, Cllr Patrick Keane (FF) said that the company is looking to identify new ways of generating income.
He said: “The important thing is to keep the attraction afloat and that is getting more and more difficult.”
The centre is now operating for eight years and the government is to be called upon to invest in the facility as it provides a major boost to the community over the Summer months.
In recent years, Kilkee Waterworld has been forced to shorten its opening period from April to September to stem continuing losses.
Already, Cllr Keane revealed that Kilkee Waterworld experienced a 12 per cent drop in visitor numbers last year. Over the past five years, visitor numbers have dropped by 26 per cent from 30,000 to 22,000.