Galway’s tourist season shoehorned into two months

Exactly one third of overseas visitors to Galway come during just two months of the summer.

The Fáilte Ireland analysis of the visitor numbers to counties on the Wild Atlantic Way, proves that the tourism industry in Galway is heavily reliant on July and August.

Some 18% of all visitors to Galway come during August and some 15% of them come during July, which shows how highly seasonal the industry here is.

The figures were released by Fáilte Ireland, as part of its public consultation process regarding the Wild Atlantic Way, which also outlines the threats to the environment that tourism poses.

The next busiest months were June (12%) and September (12%), meaning that almost two thirds of all visitors come to Galway during the four months from June to September. The figures, compiled for 2014, show January (3%) is the slowest month for tourism in Galway.

The Wild Atlantic Way encompasses the coastline and hinterland of the nine coastal counties of the West of Ireland – Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Cork.

The route stretches for almost 2,500km from the village of Muff on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal to Kinsale in West Cork.

In Galway it includes the city, as a gateway, and encompasses Kinvara in the south, along the coast and through to Clifden and North Connemara, and the border with Mayo.

Fáilte Ireland gives an analysis of the accommodation stock along the Wild Atlantic Way and reveals that it is mostly concentrated in Cork and Kerry which account for over half of properties and 44% of beds along the route.

Galway has the most hotels in the region (80), but it has relatively fewer self-catering apartments. Galway, according to the report has ten times fewer self-catering apartments than the Wild Atlantic Way in Kerry, for example.

An Environmental Assessment has been published by Fáilte Ireland and it details all the sensitive areas in Galway that are affected by the Wild Atlantic Way.

The report, which is available online, outlines what measures, if any, may need to be taken to mitigate against any risk to the environment, as well as outline the potential risks.

It lists the threats to certain areas as a result of increased tourism.

In relation to Inner Galway Bay, it said: “While there are no imminent threats to the birds, a concern is that sewage effluent and detritus of the aquaculture industry could be deleterious to benthic communities and could affect food stocks of divers, seaduck and other birds. Bird populations may also be disturbed by aquaculture activities. Owing to the proximity of Galway City, shoreline and terrestrial habitats are under pressure from urban expansion and recreational activities.”

It also identifies threats to Kilkieran Bay, in Connemara. “The Department of Fisheries has designated Kilkieran Bay as an aquaculture area. It is possible that consequent increased siltation and eutrophication will have a deleterious effect on the benthic communities and on the Raspailia ramosa/Corella parallelogramma communities in the deep littoral reef. The effects of Invermectin and other biocides on adjacent fauna have not been studied