Friday June 16 saw Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Patrick O’Donovan unveil the route for the Shannon Estuary Drive, which is the first in what is hoped will be a series of drives developed by Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with local stakeholders to encourage visitors to discover the variety of inland visitor experiences as they travel along the Wild Atlantic Way.
O'Donovan asserted, “The Shannon Estuary Way new visitor experience provides a significant opportunity for Limerick and Ennis, as gateway towns to the Wild Atlantic Way, and will open up the region’s inland hinterland to visitors as well as support the strong local accommodation base and variety of visitor attractions and services along the route."
The Shannon Estuary drive is a looped route of approximately 207km (135 miles). A new visitor friendly map of the route will be available at local businesses, tourist information offices, key accommodation hubs and all major attractions along the route as well as on www.wildatlanticway.com.
Fáilte Ireland’s head of the Wild Atlantic Way, Fiona Monaghan, commented, “While the Wild Atlantic Way continues to thrive in terms of visitor numbers and awareness, we need to ensure we continue to develop and build on it, and use its growing appeal to spread tourism activity into as many parts as possible. Initiatives such as the Shannon Estuary Way will do just that and encourage tourists to broaden their visit beyond the coastal touring route, enhancing the experience in a way which will benefit visitors and local communities alike.”
The next steps for the project include the development of a navigation and viewing point strategy developed in collaboration with key stakeholders.
