Displaying items by tag: Whisky Festival

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

10th March 2024

World Famous Islay Whisky Festival at Risk Over Lack of CalMac Capacity

The organisers of one of the world's most famous whisky festivals in Scotland say it has been put at risk after being left "high and dry" due to the ongoing ferry fiasco at CalMac.

Visitors to Islay, off the south-west coast, is where the annually held Fèis Ìle, or Islay Festival, will encounter a lack of ferry capacity, reports the HeraldScotland. As the festival organisers say, they face "significant difficulties" as CalMac has failed to provide the expected increase in crossing capacity to allow whisky lovers and festival-goers to attend the event in May, which is spread across nine days.

CalMac operates two routes to Islay from Kennacraig (photo above) on the Mull of Kintyre, which involve crossings from the mainland port to Port Askaig taking 2 hours and 5 minutes and Port Ellen, with a slightly longer passage time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Regularly, the festival generates upwards of £10 million for the local economy, and organizers say it is in "serious jeopardy" if a solution cannot be found.

Visitors from around the world, amounting to up to 20,000, are usually expected to Islay and neighboring Jura for what is said to be one of the largest such gatherings.

Festival visitors can look forward to a combination of music and malt, which will showcase the islands' distilleries, community, and culture. Among the features of the week-long plus festival will range from tastings, tours, beaches, walks, ceilidhs, sunsets, and sunrises.

The origins of the festival, which continues to grow in size and stature, have taken place every May since 1984, a year before the Hebridean Isles were built, adds Afloat.ie. It is one of two Islay ferries currently running the routes, with Finlaggan dating to 2011. However, twin newbuilds built in Turkey will see the first ferry, the Isle of Islay, launched next week, 16 March.

They are to replace the forty-year-old Hebridean Isles and complement the Finlaggan, with the first ferry due for delivery in October and the second ship in early 2025. They will give a boost of 40% in capacity, but in the meantime, such availability will not be of service to islanders and visitors alike for the festival.

Much more from the newspaper on the challenges facing the festival and the impacts on tourism to the island and to the economy of the wider region.

Published in Ferry

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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.