The Wild Atlantic Way, a 2,500km touring route along Ireland’s west coast, has turned into a tourism dynamo, generating almost two million more visits a year than when it started and adding €3 billion a year to Ireland’s tourism revenues.
This month marks the Way’s 10th anniversary, after planning started in 2011, spurred by the effects of the 2008 financial crash and declining tourism in Ireland’s west. Tourism Minister Catherine Martin pointed to the success, saying it “is now a household name and cements Ireland’s reputation as a must-visit tourism destination.”
Its success—it accounts for as much as half of all domestic tourism revenue—has led Ireland to add other ‘destination brands,’ including Ireland’s Ancient East, and Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.
Image: IrelandWritingRetreat/Wikimedia Commons
