A €63 million blueprint for the development of the Cliffs of Moher visitor attraction in Co. Clare proposes increasing the attraction's average entry fee.
As reported by The Irish Independent, as part of work on a Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040 project by Clare County Council, UK-based consultancy firm Haley Sharpe Design (HSD) has projected that an increase in the attraction's average admission price to €10.40 coupled with a 31% increase in annual visitor numbers to two million would double the attraction's annual profits.
2019 Statistics
HSD revealed in a 91 page draft Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040 document, which sets out the attraction's future over the next two decades, that the attraction experienced a profit of €5.8 million in 2019.
The 2019 profit figure was based on admission ticket income of €9.7 million generated from a record 1.52 million visitors, who paid an average ticket price of €6.40.
The attraction's total revenues in 2019 amounted to €10.3 million, and HSD has projected annual revenues of €23 million in its 2040 masterplan, which it said can be accomplished by generating €20.8 million in ticket revenues by increasing the average ticket price to €10.40.
"Significantly Lower" Ticket Prices Than Benchmarking Comparisons
According to HSD, current Cliffs of Moher ticket prices are "significantly lower" than benchmarking comparisons. The consultancy firm stated that Ireland's top 10 visitor attractions have an average entry fee of €14.83, Giant's Causeway access costs €13.50 and Stonehenge access costs €23.80.
Proposed €63 Million Capital Spend
The growth in revenues and visitor numbers at the Cliffs of Moher is predicated on a proposed €63 million capital spend in the draft strategy document.
The proposed €63 million in capital spend includes spends of €19.85 million on new looped walkways, €3.3 million on other walkways, €4.5 million on a feature hillside trigonometry point, €19.5 million on visitor centre works and €6.4 million on park-and-ride facilities to serve the cliffs from Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna.
Higher Employee Count
The Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040 blueprint also envisages significantly increasing the number of people employed at the Cliffs of Moher attraction and an increase in staff costs from 2019's €2.64 million figure to €5.28 million.
"A New World-Class Experience"
HSD, which secured the €398,547 contract to draw up the Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040 blueprint in November of 2019, stated that the blueprint plans "a new world-class experience" that will include new viewpoints, a subterranean experience and a cantilevered walkway that would go over the cliffs' edge.
© 2021 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
