Spectacular views, clean beaches, varied wildlife and a warm welcome are no longer enough to ensure viability for tourism on Achill, Ireland's largest offshore island, it has been claimed.
This season has been a "washout", according to local tourism and business interests. So much so that the development of an indoor leisure and health facility is now considered essential to attracting future visitors to the island.
Locals point out that it is not easy to compete with nearby Westport, which has a high-quality municipal leisure centre as well as private leisure centres in four of the town's hotels.
"After such a wet and miserable season, we are putting the development of a leisure centre on the top of our agenda," says Mr Adrian Kilbane, chairman of Turaseóireachta Acla (Achill Tourism), one of the dozens of voluntary groups working towards sustainability for the island.
Lands adjacent to a disused Franciscan monastery in the village of Bunacurry have been made available for the development by Achill Development Co-op (Comharchumann Forbartha Acla).
"We are calling on Bord Fáilte, the Department of Tourism and Mayo County Council to view this development as a necessity, " said Ms Karen Grealis, tourism manager with Turaseóireachta Acla.
The local tourism body relies on government grant-aid and fees from its 200 members and local business people to administer its office, which employs three full-time staff.
Ms Angela McLoughlin Barnes, chairwoman of the health and leisure complex planning team, views the development as being of equal importance for the island's population of 5,000.
"At the moment, it involves a two-hour round trip for a family or school group to enjoy a swim in an indoor pool," Ms McLoughlin Barnes said.
"They must either travel to Castlebar or Westport to enjoy such facilities, which is totally ridiculous."
The incorporation of both cardiac and stroke rehabilitation units in the planned leisure centre would make it a unique facility.
While the planning team has already conducted its own feasibility study on the centre, it now needs to raise €15,000 to employ a design team to carry the project a stage further.