State seeks adviser to help boost midlands tourism

Fáilte Ireland has tendered for a company to help it develop a new tourism strategy for the swathe of land down running down the middle of Ireland that falls outside the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East, the two linchpins of the State’s tourism marketing strategy.

The area, generally referred to in tourism marketing circles as “Ireland’s Lakelands” district, takes in parts of east Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, much of north Tipperary, and runs down as far as the northern reaches of Cork.

Marketing resources

While the Wild Atlantic Way and, latterly, the Ancient East are heavily backed with State marketing resources, local politicians in the midlands region complain their area is being neglected.

Orla Carroll, Fáilte Ireland’s director of strategic development, said she hopes to have appointed a company to do a feasibility study by the middle of October. It may take a further six months, she said, for a study to be completed, after which any extra State funding that is required will be sought.

Fáilte Ireland on Wednesday tendered for a company “to ascertain the potential for growth and the best mechanism to unlock those areas that lie between the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East”.

Lakelands moniker

The tender made no mention of the Lakelands moniker, but Ms Carroll confirmed it is area being targeted.

She said the Lakelands term, which is also used in the Programme for Government’s tourism strategy, may not end up being the final slogan that is used for the region.

“We purposely didn’t use the Lakelands term because that’s all open for now. We don’t want to be too proscriptive. We want to see first what the study tells us about the best [slogan] for that geography,” said Ms Carroll.

The study will consider the best way to market the region to foreign visitors, and also predict the possible economic impact of any boost in visitor numbers.