That jewel of Irish tourism, the Wild Atlantic Way, is ten years old today – and is worth more than €3 billion a year in tourism revenue for the west of Ireland, according to a report by Fáilte Ireland.
It was created by Ireland’s National Tourism Development Authority a decade ago. It says it is worth more than €3 billion per year in tourism revenue to communities along the western seaboard and is responsible for the creation of an additional 35,000 jobs. The Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland’s first defined touring route and runs for 2,500km, from Kinsale in Co Cork to the Inishowen Peninsula in Co Donegal.
Fáilte Ireland says that in the past ten years the Wild Atlantic Way increased tourism on the western coast by 60 per cent. It says almost two million more tourist visits were made to the Wild Atlantic Way last year than in 2013, leading to the creation of 35,000 jobs. According to its figures tourism accounts for 121,000 jobs along the route of the Wild Atlantic Way.
