Connacht Tribune
East Galway to benefit from new tourism marketing effort
All parts of County Galway will benefit from being part of a tourism strategy when a Wild Atlantic Way Region and a new marketing brand promoting the midlands will be launched in 2018.
The two new initiatives will provide a very tangible tourism boost to areas which claim to have been ignored by Fáilte Ireland, according to the outgoing head of the Wild Atlantic Way, Fiona Monaghan.
The midlands branding will aim to replicate the successes of the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Dublin: A Breath of Fresh Air.
The proposed brand, set to be unveiled by the end of next March, will run from east Galway to Westmeath and south from Cavan down to Killaloe in Co Clare.
“This will involve a significant investment in infrastructure, in marketing – initially targeting the home market before it’s extended internationally. There are recognised gaps in this area so there needs to be major investment with partners such as the local authorities, the OPW (Office of Public Works), the NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Service) with grant scheme for private businesses.”
The Wild Atlantic Way Region will be launched in early 2018 showcasing areas not physically on the 2,750km driving route to encourage visitors to go off the beaten path and explore.
“Businesses in this new region will carry a new logo, they will be offered all the support available to Wild Atlantic Way towns and villages and we will run workshops to give them to tools to make the most of the designation.
“The aim is that every county will be part of one of the four brands in some shape or form and nowhere gets left behind.”
The rewards could well prove lucrative, if the experience of the industry in 2017 is anything to go by.
While figures per region have not yet been broken down, Fáilte Ireland expects forecasts of a 4% increase in overseas tourists as well as domestic visitors in the west to be reached – and in some areas exceeded.
Nationally there was a jump of 16% in tourists from North America while the number of mainland Europeans increased by 4.5% to the end of October. British visitors were down by 6%.
“The North American market was especially strong for the west – as was the French and German market who are drawn to Galway and Connemara as they like that rugged coastline and the island. In fact, there was a big increase in interest in the island experience and Galway is lucky in that it has the Aran Islands and Inisbofin, both very different experiences,” explained Fiona.
The forecast for 2018 is for national growth of 3%, but some parts of the Wild Atlantic Way less trafficked will likely exceed that as demand further increases.
“We are spending a lot of time encouraging accommodation providers and attractions to stay open in the shoulder seasons. We are often surprised businesses don’t know how much it costs to put on the lights, keep staff on in order to break even and make a profit. Sometimes it’s a lot smaller than they think and they only close because it’s traditional to do so,” said the marketing executive.
“Clifden was traditionally a six-month destination – it’s become at least eight months; Dingle is now open ten months. You see in Clifden a big contingent decamping from Dublin to Clifden for the New Year for a family getaway since the recession.”
Fáilte Ireland plans to extend the loop of the Wild Atlantic Way to Loughrea, Gort, Craughwell and Oranmore in 2018.
After a long period of consultation with stakeholders, they will launch a visitor experience plan in early January giving out ideas for activities and trips within the region.
With the designation of European Region of Gastronomy 2018, Fáilte Ireland will be targeting overseas and local ‘foodies’, who tend to spend higher and stay longer.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors for the first nine months of the year rose by 5% compared with the corresponding period of 2016.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
