Tourism is now worth €3billion per year on the Wild Atlantic Way, an increase of 59% on 2013, according to Fáilte Ireland.
This growth has contributed to the creation of an additional 35,000 jobs, with tourism now supporting 121,000 jobs across the region, the tourism body says.
While Fáílte Ireland says it does not yet have a detailed breakdown which might illustrate the impact on watersports and marine leisure, one of its testimonials for its report comes from Jim and Maria Kennedy of Atlantic Sea Kayaking in West Cork.
Kennedy says he was proud to be one of the Wild Atlantic Way’s first ambassadors, and says their company has benefited “with much increased international visitor numbers”.
A report published by Fáílte Ireland and released at Meitheal, its two-day trade event underway in Kerry, says that nearly 2 million more visitors visited the Wild Atlantic Way in 2023 compared with 2013.
Speaking at Meitheal, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin said the 2,500-kilometre route “along our rugged Atlantic coast…is now a household name and cements Ireland’s reputation as a must-visit tourism destination”
“ I commend Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland on their work in driving this success over the last 10 years,”she said.
Fáílte Ireland chief executive Paul Kelly said: “We are proud to mark the 10th anniversary of the Wild Atlantic Way at Meitheal this year and reflect on a brand that has had a truly transformative impact on the economy of the west coast.”
“Tourism is now worth €3billion per year to the region. This growth has contributed to the creation of an additional 35,000 jobs in local communities, with tourism now supporting 121,000 jobs across the region. Domestically, the Wild Atlantic Way is our most popular region with 51% of all domestic tourism revenue being generated there,”Kelly said.
“When we compare this internationally, based on the most recent data available, we see that inbound travel to Ireland grew by 45% between 2013 and 2019, well above the Northern European average of 25%. And the Wild Atlantic Way was a key contributor to this success with overseas visitor bednights in the region growing by 60% across this period,” he said.
Tourism Ireland chief executive Alice Mansergh said her organisation “ loved making the Wild Atlantic Way famous overseas".
“ We captured behind-the-scenes interviews with the stars of Normal People, Banshees of Inisherin and Star Wars, as they filmed along the route, inspiring screen tourism,” she said.
“ Tourism Ireland has co-produced 22 food and travel focused TV shows highlighting the Wild Atlantic Way, reaching 450 million in viewership around the world, with hosts like Donal Skehan and John Torode,” Mansergh said.
“ Bringing journalists to experience the scenery, heritage and culture along the route has led to coverage in publications like The Guardian, The New York Times and National Geographic, adding up over the years to an ‘equivalent advertising value’ of over 1 billion euros,” she said.
“As we mark 10 years, we’ll be showcasing what the Wild Atlantic Way has to offer across 14 markets around the world, through a mix of TV, digital and social channels,” she said.
“ We invite everyone to get involved in this special birthday, sharing their favourite photos of the route to wish ‘Happy 10th Birthday to Ireland’s #WildAtlanticWay’,” she added.
