The unresolved issue of access to rural land is holding back a potentially highly lucrative segment of the tourist industry. More than 280,000 overseas visitors participated in hillwalking or hiking during their stay here last year.
According to Fáilte Ireland, it is the most popular holiday activity and was undertaken by 27 per cent between June and September 2005.
However, tourism authorities are restricted in the off-road routes they can recommend due to land access, which is at the discretion of landowners.
The Mountaineering Association of Ireland says landowners are becoming increasingly cautious due to the liabilities associated with allowing walkers on land. A strategy aimed at clarifying land access issues is being discussed by the countryside council, Comhairle na Tuaithe, as part of the new countryside recreational strategy.
The council failed to reach a decision at its last meeting, and the strategy is on the agenda for the next meeting on August 28th.
Joss Lynam, who represents the mountaineering association on Comhairle na Tuaithe, says: "The big difficulty at the moment is that people don't know whether they are welcome or not, and this is particularly true where tourists are concerned." The association represents 8,500 hillwalkers, ramblers and rock-climbers throughout Ireland.
As part of a new initiative to promote walking holidays, Fáilte Ireland has launched a brochure outlining day-long and half-day loop routes, based on permissive access agreed with farmers and community groups.
Thirteen routes have been agreed for the brochure so far, a further 35 are under audit and it is hoped the majority will be in place by next May.
"There's an increasing demand for shorter walks that people can tie into their holidays," says Mark Rowlette, who worked on the brochure, "and it's a really good way of getting people out of Dublin."
Ninety-three per cent of walking tourists choose to take their holiday outside the capital and tend to stay longer than the average tourist, making it ideal for rural tourism authorities.
About 90 per cent of walking tourists say they intend to return to Ireland.
"It's a huge undertaking to even announce 14 walks," says acting general manager Martina Bromley of the North West Tourism authority, which covers Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Sligo. "We only have one route featured at the moment, the Glencolmcille Loop, but we hope this will increase in the future and aim to have at least one walk cleared in each of our counties.
"Access restrictions are a problem for all authorities, but this initiative is taking the bull by the horns by picking out structured and well-managed ways, which has never been done before.
"It's important that tourists know where they can walk without encountering an angry farmer and I think this is the way forward."