Aquatic Tourism

Q: Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

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

Aquatic Tourism

A variety of sectors may qualify in seafood; coastal tourism; boat building and repair; marine leisure and sport; renewable energy initiatives, and small non-commercial harbour or pier activities

Renewable Energy Grants for Coastal Businesses under Brexit Adjustment Reserve Funding

20th October 2022 Fishing

Businesses within 10 kilometres of Ireland’s coastline can apply for renewable energy grants worth up to 200,000 euro under the Brexit Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme. Funding of €25 million has been provided from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR), a…

The Spirit of Doolin ferry at Cape Clear in West Cork

New Cape Clear Ferry Will Develop Tourism in West Cork

13th October 2022 Ferry

Having sold two of its vessels - the fast Ferry Dún na Séad II and the Dún Aengus, Cape Clear Ferries in West Cork is buying the Spirit of Doolin from O’Brien’s Ferry Company in Clare. This will replace the…

Belfast Harbour - a grant of €90,000 has been awarded to Cork and Belfast city councils to work together on the project, entitled Cork-Belfast Harbour Cities

Cork and Belfast Dockland Regeneration Among Shared Island Projects Funded

29th September 2022 Irish Harbours

Docklands regeneration in Cork and Belfast is one of 25 projects awarded monies under the Shared Island local authority development funding scheme announced by Taoiseach Micheál Martin. A grant of €90,000 has been awarded to Cork and Belfast city councils…

Local TDs and stakeholders mark the commencement of redevelopment works at Connaught Harbour on Friday 23 September

Waterways Ireland Marks Start of Redevelopment Works at Portumna’s Connaught Harbour

23rd September 2022 Inland Waterways

On Friday (23 September), Waterways Ireland marked the commencement of works on two significant tourism and navigation projects on the Shannon Navigation in Portumna, Co Galway. Minister of State for Disability, Anne Rabbitte and fellow local TDs Ciarán Cannon and…

Safety Must Be Improved as Demand for Shannon Holidays Rises, Say Boat Operators

5th September 2022 Inland Waterways

Safety on the water must be improved as demand for staycations on the inland waterways increases. That’s the warning from boat operators on the Shannon, as reported in The Irish Times, who have raised various issues such as a lack…

Plans for ‘Green Overhaul’ of Shannon Cruising Fleet

29th August 2022 Inland Waterways

The Shannon’s cruising fleet is in line for a ‘green overhaul’ as Fáilte Ireland seeks consultants to advise on a more sustainable future for the inland waterway. According to The Irish Times, the new strategy seeks to reverse the decline…

A Canadian yacht is one of the many international visitors from 25 different countries arriving at Dun Laoghaire Marina this summer

Dun Laoghaire Marina Welcomes 'Significant Increase' in Foreign Visiting Yachts

17th August 2022 Dun Laoghaire Marina

French and Scandinavian yachts are the summer's most popular visitors to Dun Laoghaire Marina as Ireland's marine leisure capital sees a significant increase in visiting yachts since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. The visitors included one of the world's biggest 'leisure boats', the…

The Giant’s Causeway near Portrush in Northern Ireland

Carlingford, Achill Island, Inishbofin and Causeway Coast Named Among Ireland’s Best Places to Holiday in 2022

31st July 2022 Coastal Notes

Four coastal locations around the island of Ireland are in the running to be named Ireland’s best place to holiday this year, with the winner to be announced this August Bank Holiday weekend. Carlingford in Co Louth on the shores of…

Nautical Tourism in the Spotlight for EU Institutions at EBI Event

13th July 2022 Aquatic Tourism

In a high-level event of the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas, the industry and EU institutions came together to discuss the priorities for recreational boating and nautical tourism. It was followed by the launch of…

BIM Launches €25m Brexit Blue Economy Scheme to Benefit Ireland’s Blue Economy

4th June 2022 Fishing

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency, announced (Friday, 3 June) the Brexit Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme is officially open for applications for grant funding to enable coastal communities to restructure, reconfigure, retrain, and diversify post-Brexit. An initiative…

Kinsale Harbour in West Cork. The Port is to get a new €1.2m fisherman's pontoon under Brexit adjustment funding announced by Government

New Kinsale €1.2m Fishing Pontoon is Part of Major Brexit Funding for West Cork's Harbours

26th April 2022 West Cork

Funds to help regions 'adjust' to Brexit will be used to fund major improvements at 14 harbours across West Cork it was announced earlier this week. As Afloat reported earlier, the grant is the largest ever funding announcement of its…

A currach with the Mayo islands of Inishturk and Achill in the background. Irish island tourism is to be monitored with an EU-approved system

Island Tourism's Sustainability to be Measured by New EU-Approved System

11th April 2022 Aquatic Tourism

A European system of measuring the impact of tourism on communities is to be introduced on a number of islands off the west Irish coast this summer. Three Aran islands and Inishbofin off Galway, along with Donegal’s Tory and Arranmore,…

Lough Derg Blueway - Fáilte Ireland says its research shows that 73%* of domestic tourists engaged in outdoor activities on their most recent overnight trip, ranging from walking and hiking, to swimming, kayaking and canoeing.

Three "Blueways" Across Four Counties are "First in World" to be Accredited - Fáilte Ireland

5th April 2022 Aquatic Tourism

Three “blueways” developed across four Irish counties are “the first in the world” to be accredited as such, Fáilte Ireland says. “Blueways” encourage the use of lakes, canals, rivers and coastal environments for walking, cycling, swimming, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding…

Officially launched by Minister for the Economy, Gordon Lyons and Councillor Richard Holmes, The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens for 2021/2022, also pictured are guests, and Charles Stewart and Dawn Hynes from Kintra Boat Tours in foreground.

Northern Ireland’s New Passenger Ship Sets Sail off Antrim's Ballycastle

2nd April 2022 Ferry

Marking what it described as a “new dawn”, an Antrim company has launched the province’s largest sightseeing passenger ferry. The new vessel Kintra II marks a £1 million investment by Kintra Boat Tours, and the creation of eight jobs. The…

Family at a picnic table next to a waterway

Waterways Ireland Presents Guides for Fun Family Trips in ‘Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands’

1st March 2022 Inland Waterways

With spring in the air, thoughts will be turning to weekends away with the family to get a break from it all — and few places are better than Ireland’s inland waterways. Waterways Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have enlisted travel…

The Belfast Barge, then named MV Confiance at Lanyon Quay

The Belfast Barge: A Visitor Attraction with a Maritime Theme

10th January 2022 Belfast Lough

Not too long ago the City of Belfast had turned its back on the River Lagan which enters Belfast Lough on the border between Counties Antrim and Down. But since 1989 when the Laganside Corporation began redevelopment of the surrounding…

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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

What is marine leisure tourism?

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.

Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

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

What marine leisure tourism studies have been conducted in Ireland?

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).

What were the results of the NUI marine leisure tourism study?

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.