Shannon Development is involved in a search for major tourism ventures for the mid-west region.

Consultancy Fitzpatrick Associates has been called in to recommend flagship-type tourism projects aimed at increasing Shannon airport passenger traffic.

Fitzpatrick Associates has been asked to come up with two to four large-scale tourism projects to be located within 90 minutes' drive from Shannon airport. It will then conduct research to pick the best.

The timing of the study is connected directly to the changes in tourism patterns, which have left the Shannon region lagging behind in recent years. It is also linked to the fact that a new autonomous board is waiting to take over Shannon airport from Aer Rianta.

A briefing document states: "The time is opportune to identify innovative tourism products vis à vis the airport, and to evaluate the new opportunities and threats that materialise."

In weighing up the feasibility of projects, the consultants have been advised that, in the absence of grant support, "the study should identify the means by which projects could be developed".

While Shannon Development's mandate for the promotion and development of the airport was lost to Aer Rianta in 1996, the company has increasingly concentrated on the airport and its prospects in recent years.