Displaying items by tag: Opportunities

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

24th May 2021

Port of Waterford Highlights 'Heritage' Opportunities of Waterford Estuary

The Irish Port of Waterford has launched a brand new report titled ‘The Maritime Heritage of Waterford Estuary’.

Marine resource economist, Dr Naomi S. Foley, the author of the report, was commissioned by the south-east port to highlight the variety of opportunities to develop and promote the estuary.

To consult the report which is available to view online here, offers an overview of the natural and cultural heritage of Waterford Estuary.

As highlighted in the report are the outlining opportunities for the future sustainable development, promotion and preservation of this heritage that could benefit the coastal communities of the estuary.

The Port of Waterford’s Heritage Committee Chairman, Joe Dreelan said, “This report is an important publication as it helps to place a framework around potential collaborations in order to achieve a number of objectives; including increasing the awareness of the maritime heritage of Waterford Estuary; contributing to a sense of community, pride and place through sustainable social and economic development and work towards strengthening and building on current community development projects.

The chairman added, for example "to those projects funded by the FLAG and LEADER programme in order to promote, preserve and enjoy our unique maritime heritage.”

Welcoming the report, CEO of Waterford Council Michael Walsh said, “Waterford Estuary has a rich maritime heritage and we are delighted to see the breadth of potential opportunities for potential future engagement and development across the areas of natural and cultural heritage".

The CEO also commented "We look forward to collaborating further with Port of Waterford to investigate the possibility of these project proposals. We have seen the success of the Waterford Greenway and note the proposition of a Waterford Estuary Blueway which is certainly something that is on our radar.”

The report gives us a full account of how the villages on both sides of the Wexford and Waterford estuary became such vital cogs in the trading success of Waterford City and the wider Southeast, and laterally how fishing became central to the villages’ economic wellbeing.

In commissioning and championing this report, Port of Waterford wishes to acknowledge the role Cheekpoint, Passage East, Duncannon, Dunmore East, Ballyhack and Arthurstown played in the Port’s development over the generations.

Published in Irish Ports

Tagged under

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.