The Minister for Tourism & Sport and Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan has launched a capital funding package of €550,000 for Coillte as part of a strategic partnership to boost the tourist experience at a number of the state owned forestry company’s sites and unleash their significant untapped potential for visitors. The announcement was made at the Curraghchase Forest Park, which is one of the six projects that have been selected under this strategic partnership.
This team up with Coillte is the latest in a series of partnerships that Fáilte Ireland is developing with key State agencies and bodies which own and manage attractions and sites that are considered to be of vital importance to tourism. As part of this strategy, Fáilte Ireland is giving capital funding to projects of tourism value as well as providing its considerable expertise in tourism development and marketing.
Announcing the funding, the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD said: “I am delighted to see such joined-up working between two state agencies where the strengths and assets of each are being combined to really provide us with an enhanced visitor experience. In an unpredictable trading environment, there can be no room for complacency in tourism and we have to continually go out there and battle with competing destinations to win more visitors to our shores. Partnerships like this – which will ultimately provide us with more compelling experiences on the ground – help provide the cutting edge we need to compete.”
“I am delighted that Fáilte Ireland have come on board with €550,000 in capital funding to promote the forest parks, this is the initial funding required to design the works and further funding will then be made available from Fáilte Ireland once the works have been designed and costed. We have a massive asset here in Curraghchase, with 1,000 acres of park land, and it is important to promote this asset.”
