Leinster can be a Prime Tourism Destination

Posted by Keith Martin on May 08, 2009 at 11:00 AM

My tourism policy has just been launched in Kilkenny (okay - I'll admit this was written the night before, and auto-posted at the right time!). Joan Burton was there with me, and you can see what each of us said in the press section of the Labour Party website.

The full policy can be downloaded here, but here's a bullet point summary:

• Leinster is the "poor relation" of Irish tourism, especially when compared to Dublin and the South-West, so there's plenty of space for strong growth
• Easy access is probably one of our best selling points - we surround Dublin with its two ferry ports and airport, and we've another ferry port of our own in Rosslare. We also have plenty of main roads and railroads (although more trains would be welcome!).
• Our natural resources, from the Cooley and Wicklow mountains to the Three Sisters rivers, are strong attractors, and can be used to make Leinster a walking, cycling and adventure holiday destination.
• There are a vast number of sites across the region of huge historical significance including well known venues such as the Battle of the Boyne Site, Newgrange, Kilkenny Castle, Wicklow Gaol, Clonmacnois and Glendalough, as well as the lesser known sites such as Kilcullen Round Tower in Kildare, and the National 1798 Visitor Centre in Wexford. These heritage sites offer great potential for educating our own young people, as well as tourists.
• Aside from the jobs created directly catering for tourists in the hospitality industry, the implementation of a tourism policy itself can create jobs.

For the full picture, you need to read the full document of course!

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