Economy Minister proposes extending Wild Atlantic Way to Northern Ireland
Sinn Fein Minister for the Economy Conor Murphy, who represents Newry and Armagh in the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland, has proposed that the Wild Atlantic Way - which for the past 10 years has run for 2500 km from Kinsale to the Inishowen Peninsula in the Republic of Ireland - be extended into NI.
The Wild Atlantic Way - which is an initiative of Failte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic - generates annual revenues of around 3 billion euro for the towns along the route.
Mr. Murphy proposes that the Wild Atlantic Way could be added to the NI tourism mix along with existing attractions like the Causeway Coastal Route, Hidden Heartlands and Ireland's Ancient East, which are promoted by the NI agency Tourism NI.
Because Tourism Ireland - established under the 1998 Belfast Agreement - is responsible for the overseas marketing of the Island of Ireland (i.e., both the Republic and NI), any issues of branding and international marketing would have to be worked out jointly among Tourism Ireland, Failte Ireland and Tourism NI.
Along with his proposal specific to the Wild Atlantic Way, Mr. Murphy has also put on the table ideas for:
- Increasing funding for Tourism Ireland
- Extending Failte Ireland's tourism brands, in general, into NI
- Working with the UK government to harmonize VAT rate across Ireland
- Eliminating the UK's ETA policy
- Facilitating planning permission for hotels
- Establishing a public/private Tourism Partnership Board to develop and deliver a Tourism Action Plan
These all sound like good ideas. But given the recent instability of the devolved Assembly, are they doable anytime soon? Stay tuned for updates.
