Where did the WAW idea originate?
A decade ago, the Wild Atlantic Way transformed Ireland’s tourism landscape, weaving together rugged coastlines, ancient heritage, and warm hospitality into a tapestry that has captivated hearts around the world.
Fáilte Ireland launched the Wild Atlantic Way in 2014 in response to a crippling global recession which left the west coast of Ireland facing sustained challenges with declining coastal communities and a tourism season of no more than six weeks in many places.
The brand was designed to create an experience of scale that would re-imagine our west coast. Our ambition was to unify the region through a continuous, defined touring route and package it in a way that attract visitors and provide an economic engine for the west of Ireland.
Local authorities in every county on the west coast gave us not just their support, but their engineers to create the route and put the necessary infrastructure in place.
Local communities and businesses embraced it from the very outset and made it their own and they continue to embody the essence of the Wild Atlantic Way. It was truly a Team Ireland effort. Now the Wild Atlantic Way has become more than just a route, it’s an internationally renowned invitation to explore the heart and soul of the West of Ireland.
How many people visit the route each year? / What has been the impact of the Wild Atlantic Way
Our latest research estimates that almost two million more tourists visited the Wild Atlantic Way in 2023 than in 2013.
Tourism is now worth €3billion per year to the region. This growth has contributed to the creation of an additional 35,000 jobs in local communities, with tourism now supporting 121,000 jobs across the region. Domestically, the Wild Atlantic Way is our most popular region with 51% of all domestic tourism revenue being generated there.
When we compare this internationally, based on the most recent data available, we see that inbound travel to Ireland grew by 45% between 2013 and 2019, well above the Northern European average of 25%. And the Wild Atlantic Way was a key contributor to this success with overseas visitor bednights in the region growing by 60% across this period.
Who is the main target market for the route, European, UK, US, other?
Internationally, the brand has proven itself to be particularly compelling in the Great Britain, German and French markets but has also begun to take hold in the US with revenue from North America now ahead of that of mainland Europe.
In all international consumer testing, the brand showed itself to be a motivating reason to visit Ireland and domestically it has become a household name.
What are the plans for the route for the coming year(s )?
The Wild Atlantic Way is still a very young brand, with plenty still to deliver and this anniversary marks the first decade in what we know will be a lasting legacy.
As a development agency, we have continued to invest in the Wild Atlantic Way as a region from our visitor attractions to our towns and villages to our smaller visitor experiences all of which make up the colour and fabric of tourism on the West coast.
In the next five years, we will invest over €70million in the sustainable development of our tourism product along the Wild Atlantic Way - with some major projects including Fort Dunree and Westport Estate in the northwest and new masterplans for our iconic attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher in the midwest.
As tourism trends continue to change and visitors look for an authentic experience and to truly engage with the culture and traditions of the people and of the area - this is the type of tourism that the Wild Atlantic Way is made for.
The ambition for the future of the Wild Atlantic Way is to grow its appeal as a globally iconic, “must do” touring route, driving incremental bed-nights and longer stays into the region while protecting the cultural authenticity and wildness of the west coast. For the northern half of the Wild Atlantic Way (from Connemara, Co. Galway to Co. Donegal inclusive ) there is a need to raise its profile internationally and grow incremental overseas visitor revenue. For the southern half of the Wild Atlantic Way (from Galway City, to Kinsale, Co. Cork inclusive ) the focus will be on sustainably increasing tourism revenue, extending the season and dispersing visitors more widely within the region, minimising any adverse impacts on local communities and maximising benefits for them.
The strategic objectives in the recently launched Wild Atlantic Way Regional Tourism Strategy 2023/2027 are to:
Grow year-round appeal of the Wild Atlantic Way, attract and disperse high value visitors.
Raise the international profile of the Northern half of the Wild Atlantic Way to increase visitation and revenue.
Increase tourism revenue, visitor dispersion and season extension across the Southern half of the Wild Atlantic Way
Protect the authenticity and “wildness” of the Wild Atlantic Way
Enable and assist the industry to grow.
Create flourishing destinations and thriving communities.
To do this we engage with the private tourism sector and public stakeholders in Destination Experience Development Plans (DEDPs ) for the tourism destinations on the Wild Atlantic Way.
The plan is that by the end of 2027 Fáilte Ireland will have 16 Destination & Experience Development Plans activated, with one in Connemara & Islands now in its fifth year (launched in 2018 ), and one for Galway City launched by the end of 2024.
The Galway City DEDP process will work to address challenges, creating a focus on the daytime economy, looking at potential all weather indoor visitor experiences that bring to life the unique characteristics of the destination, including maritime heritage, Irish language, culture, and food, and provide a collective vision and ambition for the future of tourism in Galway City.
What does Fáilte Ireland see as the main reasons Irish people should take trips along the route?
The Wild Atlantic Way route itself is intended as the “magnet” to which visitors will be drawn to the west coast in the first instance with a layer of varied and authentic experiences beneath this offering visitors plenty of reasons to explore the wider region, stay longer and enjoy the Wild Atlantic Way all year round.
According to the most recent Consumer Update from Fáilte Ireland on Domestic Travel Behaviour, traditional tourist destinations remain popular for summer domestic travel with over 60% visiting the Wild Atlantic Way region. A combination of events, festivals, marketing and relatively affordable accommodation rates has contributed to an increase in travel to western counties. Now that the Wild Atlantic Way brand is well established, the intention is to leverage it even further for the benefit of all the west coast region.
Have you any plans for new initiatives in other parts of the country?
Fáilte Ireland’s other regional brands – Dublin, Ireland’s Ancient East and Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands – now cover the whole country, and provide a blueprint for Fáilte Ireland’s destination development.
Building on our mission and vision to make the industry even more economically important and even more sustainable, we developed four new Regional Tourism Development Strategies to provide a framework for sustainable tourism development across Ireland from 2023-2027. Launched in May last year, these strategies outline a vision for tourism which contain a five-year strategic framework for the sustainable development of Fáilte Ireland’s four regional brands. This means we now have a unique Regional Tourism Strategy for Ireland’s Ancient East, Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and Dublin.
By capitalising on the uniqueness of each brand they set a clear path ahead for the development of new and enhanced visitor experiences, building greater capacity and capability into the industry, and provide a clear strategy for attracting visitors that will stay longer and spend more.
These strategies will ensure the primary focus is on sustainability, so the socio-economic benefits of tourism are seen and felt in communities and businesses across the country. The strategies will also ensure we make progress on decarbonising the tourism sector and in doing so help protect our environment for future generations.
What are the biggest challenges facing the further development of the route?
The tourism industry as a whole is facing three critical challenges that impact all tourism businesses - costs and competitiveness, capacity constraints, and climate change. Rising operating costs for businesses, combined with the return to the 13.5% Vat rate and payroll related cost increases are putting huge pressure on all operators. The industry is also constrained due to the ongoing challenges because of accommodation stock that has been removed from the tourism market in order to support the humanitarian response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There are counties and towns where the majority of tourist accommodation is currently unavailable to tourists, and this is having an impact on other businesses that rely on visitors staying in the area. Of course, climate change is the biggest long-term challenge for the industry and while we must accept that we live on an island on the edge of Europe which means for the vast majority of our visitors air travel is the only way to get here. However, when we look at the in-destination carbon footprint of tourism businesses, we can see very clear ways and significant opportunity to decarbonise tourism. And this will be a key focus for us in 2024 and beyond.
Are the visitor numbers growing each year? How many of these are Irish?
According to our most recent Tourism Barometer:
about three in five (59% ) businesses had more visitors in 2023 compared to 2022;
the highest proportions reporting to be up on 2022 were among inbound tour operators & DMCs (76% ), hotels (75% ), attractions (72% ) and tour guides (72% )
the North American market was up for 61% of operators
Irish residents took 13.3 million domestic trips in 2022, spending a total of €2.9 billion,and staying an average of 3.0 nights per trip.
It is however important to note that the strategy has changed from just looking for growth in visitor numbers particularly in Galway City and south of the Wild Atlantic Way. Fáilte Ireland is focused on the value of the visitor to the region and giving the visitor more things to do and see so that they stay longer and spend more in the region.
The Domestic Market remains a key Market for the Wild Atlantic Way and our Keep Discovering Campaign is focused on encouraging visitors to areas that have capacity.
What is the estimate for visitor numbers in 2024?
There is reason for optimism in terms of outlook for the 2024 season. Air Access capacity for Summer 2024 is due to be 3% above the same period last year, and 44% of businesses nationally expect to be up on visitors in 2024.
What is the annual tourist spend on the route? Do they know the tourism spend in Galway?
Tourism is now worth €3 billion per year to the Wild Atlantic Way region. Overseas Visitors to the Wild Atlantic Way spend an average €551 per capita here and domestic visitors €210 per capita on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Which part of the route gets the most visitors?
We have what we call “hot spots” on the Wild Atlantic Way and our task is to disperse the visitor more evenly. For the northern half of the Wild Atlantic Way (from Connemara, Co. Galway to Co. Donegal inclusive ) there is a need to raise its profile internationally and grow incremental overseas visitor revenue. For the southern half of the Wild Atlantic Way (from Galway City, to Kinsale, Co. Cork inclusive ) the focus will be on sustainably increasing tourism revenue, extending the season and dispersing visitors more widely within the region, minimising any adverse impacts on local communities and maximising benefits for them.
How well is the route served by public transportation?
Major towns and cities along the Wild Atlantic Way are well serviced by public transport. Private bus and tour companies have also used the Wild Atlantic Way as an opportunity to capitalise on bringing visitors to more rural areas of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Through our Destination and Experience Development Plans we are continually working with public and private transport partners to add more sustainable travel options for visitors looking to explore the Wild Atlantic Way.
How many jobs in tourism has the route created?
35,000 additional tourism jobs supported on the Wild Atlantic Way in 10 years with tourism now supporting a total of 121,000 jobs across the region.
