Wild Atlantic Way has 'opened up the magnificent West Cork coastline to an international audience'

CORK tourism businesses have benefitted significantly from the Wild Atlantic Way, according to a new report released by Fáilte Ireland to mark its 10th anniversary.

Nearly 2m more visitors visited the Wild Atlantic Way — which begins in Kinsale and continues to Donegal — in 2023 compared with 2013.

Tourism is now worth €3bn per year on the route, an increase of 59% on 2013, and this growth has contributed to the creation of an additional 35,000 jobs, with tourism now supporting 121,000 jobs across Ireland.

The report says that Tourism Ireland has promoted direct services to the Wild Atlantic Way, including Brittany Ferries to the Port of Cork and Ryanair to Cork Airport.

Director of sales and marketing at Clonakilty’s Inchydoney Lodge & Spa, Ruth McCarthy, told The Echo that since its launch in 2014, the Wild Atlantic Way has allowed Inchydoney to promote itself and the wider region as being an integral part of something “very exciting” and engaging.

“The marketing efforts and promotion of the Wild Atlantic Way both at home and abroad have helped raise awareness of the West Cork coastline and Inchydoney as a must-visit destination along this scenic route, resulting in a boost in visitor numbers over the years since its launch,” she said.

“The Wild Atlantic Way is frequently mentioned by both Irish and overseas guests. The route has gained widespread recognition and has become a significant draw for tourists, both domestically and internationally.”

Ms McCarthy said that in co-operation with Tourism Ireland, Inchydoney partakes in several overseas promotions annually, mainly in the US and Europe.

Jim and Maria Kennedy of Atlantic Sea Kayaking in Skibbereen said that they were proud to be one of the first ambassadors “of such an ingenious, ambitious, and far-reaching project”.

“The Wild Atlantic Way has opened up the magnificent West Cork coastline to an international audience, and Atlantic Sea Kayaking has benefited with much-increased international visitor numbers,” they added.

Dominic Casey from family-owned Casey’s of Baltimore Hotel told The Echo that from the beginning of the initiative, “we would get a lot more foreign tourists in the shoulder parts of the season — it is advertised as ‘wild’, so the weather can be a bit rough and windy, so from that perspective it’s been fantastic”.

“It’s put places like Baltimore on the map, the route along the coastline includes a lot of the famous tourist spots, so it’s great to be put alongside them,” said Mr Casey.

Tourism Minister Catherine Martin and Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, marked the 10th anniversary of the Wild Atlantic Way yesterday at Meitheal, the largest trade event for the Irish tourism industry.