Growing problem of 'photo stop tourism' at Cliffs of Moher, TD claims

Vivienne Clarke

Certain tour operators are “openly flaunting” National Transport Authority guidelines on tourism routes, a TD has claimed.

Clare TD Cathal Crowe said there was a growing problem with “photo stop tourism” where bus loads of tourists came to the Cliffs of Moher, took photos and left without contributing anything to the local economy.

“They take selfies of certain scenic spots and they go on,” he told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne.

“We want plenty of tourism, and tourism has to coexist with communities. Sometimes I think the planning has all been around bringing everyone to a certain spot. And then on they go again.”

He said some of iconic tourist stops have now been reduced to photo stops. They stop at the side of the road, everyone takes a photo, then they get back on the bus and go back to Dublin, the Fianna Fáil TD said.

Previously such tours might have stayed overnight in Clare or at least had lunch. “Now these trips begin on the quays of Dublin around half seven in the morning. You're back in Dublin for your dinner, so your breakfast and dinner in Dublin, you've got lunch somewhere in Clare or in Galway and some of the stops are just photo stops.”

Mr Crowe pointed out that some of the tour companies were actually given a certain route to travel by the National Transport Authority, but a number of such companies were “openly flaunting” this and when he confronted them about this, they said they were going wherever the tourists wanted.

“They say, look, this is tourism, this is what we're going to do.”

Mr Crowe said he was pro-tourism and was an aviation spokesperson. There had to be a balancing act, which was why a Cliffs of Moher strategy was being developed because 1.6 million people visited the cliffs every year. But he said the local community felt they were being shortchanged.

“We really want people to come to the west of Ireland to spend time there. Why not even flip the model. I have a family member holidaying in Italy this week. They're holidaying in a small town. They've been going to Rome for a day. And yes, in Ireland some of them seem to come to Dublin for a week and do a day trip (to the west). We can look at a more balanced tourism model and I think in the age of sustainability, surely tourism needs to be more sustainable. And this Instagram era of tourism is anything but sustainable and it really drives communities bonkers.”