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Aquatic Tourism
Sea Stories — Galway City Museum’s €19.3m redevelopment will explore Bronze Age voyages, Gráinne Mhaol, the Spanish Armada and the city’s historic sea gate.(L-R) Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD; Caroline Bocquel, CEO, Fáilte Ireland;  Deputy Mayor of City of Galway  Alan Cheevers and Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive, Galway City Council; and  Adam Stoneman, Director of Galway City Museum.
Journeys with Bronze Age seafarers to the Aran Islands, encounters with pirate queen Gráinne Mhaol, and the dramatic legacy of the Spanish Armada are marine themes of €19.3 million euro development plans for Galway City Museum. The project, focusing also…
“Island
Seafood festivals on Ireland’s west coast are among the projects to receive State funding under a new €300,000 agri-food tourism initiative announced by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon. Mayo’s Inisturk Seafest and Kerry’s Cromane Seafest are…
“Island
UNESCO World Heritage Site Sceilg Mhichíl (Skellig Michael) will reopen to visitors this Saturday, May 9th, the Office of Public Works has confirmed. Public access to the island will remain subject to favourable weather, sea, and on-site conditions, it has…
Harbour Haven: Aerial view of Schull Harbour in West Cork with moored yachts and sheltered waters along Ireland’s scenic southwest coastline
The European Parliament has backed key measures supporting boating and nautical tourism in its latest tourism strategy resolution. The report was adopted in Brussels by 439 votes to 42, with 129 abstentions, signalling strong political support for the sector. Lawmakers…
Giant Vision — Scotland’s new marine tourism strategy aims to grow coastal economies, support over 34,000 jobs and increase sector value to £800m by 2030 through sustainable tourism and marine investment.
A new strategy to grow Scotland’s marine tourism sector by a further £100 million by 2030 has been launched. The framework, titled Giant Opportunities (2026–2030), sets out a roadmap to expand the industry while supporting coastal communities and protecting marine…
Star Attraction: Inishowen Maritime Museum in Greencastle will install a new planetarium under a €232,911 Shared Island scheme to enhance visitor experiences across the region.
Donegal’s Inishowen Maritime Museum is to receive capital investment of €232,911 for a new planetarium under a Shared Island funding initiative. The funding is part of a total capital investment of €2.7million from the cross-border initiative to develop “visitor experiences”…
“Sunsail
Sunsail has relaunched its Funding the Future initiative for 2026, offering up to £6,000 to support grassroots sailing across the UK. The scheme is open to RYA-affiliated sailing and yacht clubs, charities and university teams. Two runners-up will each receive…
European Boating Industry joins Active Tourism Coalition to promote boating, marinas and waterway investment in the EU’s Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
The European Boating Industry (EBI) has joined the EU’s Active Tourism coalition to strengthen its role in shaping the upcoming Sustainable Tourism Strategy. The coalition includes 20 EU-level associations across cycling, walking, hiking and water-based recreation. Together, they are calling…
The all-terrain beach wheelchair on Árainn Mhór improves coastal access for wheelchair users, funded by FLAG North to support inclusive island living.
Árainn Mhór Island in County Donegal has improved beach access for wheelchair users with the introduction of a new all-terrain beach wheelchair. The project was funded through a €20,000 grant from the Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) North under the…
Google Maps users now have the ability to compare yacht rental offerings and book directly via the map interface alongside accommodation, restaurants, attractions and more
Yacht charters have now been added as an option in Google Maps’ ‘Things to do’ feature, as Marine Industry News reports. Listings for yacht rentals are available on interactive maps thanks to the integration of data from Boatscribe, a UK-based…
Sunsail’s 2026 New Year offer includes free charter days, loyalty savings, and water toys on global sailing holidays booked by 30 January.
Sunsail has launched a major New Year promotion for 2026, offering free charter days, water toys, and loyalty discounts for sailing holiday bookings made between 29 December 2025 and 30 January 2026. The offer applies to all bareboat, flotilla, and…
“Hull
A floating lighthouse and a trawler that broke world records are among maritime exhibits that have secured British city Hull in a world ranking of places to visit this year. The city in east Yorkshire is the only place in…
“Kerry
Community and coastal projects across Kerry are set to benefit from a new €850,000 funding call launched by Kerry County Council. The Community Support Fund 2026 was formally launched on Friday, 12 December, by Cathaoirleach Cllr Michael Foley, Director of…
EU policymakers and marine industry leaders gather to discuss supporting sustainable water-based tourism at a Parliament event hosted by MEP Brnjac
Policymakers and marine industry representatives have discussed how the EU can strengthen sustainable water-based tourism and the recreational boating sector at a recent event hosted by MEP Nikolina Brnjac in the European Parliament. The event was jointly organised by ADAC…
New EU study highlights the need for mutual recognition of boating licences to simplify cross-border navigation and support Europe’s growing recreational boating and nautical tourism sectors.
The European Commission has released a new study calling for mutual recognition of boating licences across the EU. The report highlights long-standing concerns raised by the European Boating Industry (EBI) about fragmented national rules. According to the study, inconsistent licensing…
“Minister
The International Marine, Lighthouse Tourism and Maritime Heritage Conference is currently underway at Dublin Castle, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the partnership between Irish Lights and Great Lighthouses of Ireland (GLI).   Minister of State Jerry Buttimer officially opening the International…

Marine Leisure & Aquatic Tourism

Domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million.

Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips.

While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. 

According to the National University of Galway (NUIG) research the average expenditure per coastal day trip in 2018 was calculated at €95. The equivalent for coastal overnight trips was €310. The estimated water-based activity expenditure per person per trip across the sample was €56 rising to €73 for the subsample that actually undertake waterbased activities on their coastal visits. The results also indicate that domestic tourists undertake the majority of their marine activities on the West and South coasts of Ireland and that there are notable differences in participation rates across age groupings, social classes and by family makeup.

A domestic tourist is defined in this report as a person who spends at least one night away from home on their trip. Total expenditure by domestic tourists in coastal areas was estimated to be €698 million in 2018, which represents 35% of the total expenditure by domestic tourists (using the broader Fáilte Ireland measure for domestic tourists that includes business trips equating to 10.92 million in total trips and €2,006 million in total revenue).

The marine-related activity expenditure, or what might truly be referred to as domestic marine tourism, is estimated to generate revenue of €381 million with €172 million being spent on water-based activities. Marine tourism makes up an estimated 19% of total domestic tourism expenditure.

Marine Leisure Tourism - FAQ

Coastal tourism refers to land-based and water-based tourism activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Coastal and Marine Tourism & Leisure are seen as one of the Blue Economy (BE) sectors that can help unlock the potential of multi-use of space at sea by engaging with Blue Growth (BG) sectors such as Aquaculture and Marine Renewable Energy among others.

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

NUI Galway carried out a survey of domestic residents in Ireland in 2019 as part of a survey entitled "Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland's Ocean Economy". The purpose of the household survey was to profile the domestic market for single-day trips (leisure) and overnight trips (tourism) for coastal and marine-related activities in Ireland. The results of the survey are also used to estimate what proportion of an Irish resident's total domestic tourism expenditure is in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion is spent on undertaking marine-related activities (marine tourism).

The NUI results highlight the important contribution that Ireland's marine and coastal resources make to the leisure experiences of the general population and the importance of the domestic tourism market to local coastal economies. The analysis indicates that domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million. Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips. While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. Satisfaction with the available marine-related leisure facilities was also found to be very high across all activities.

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