Over 1000 tourism industry operators, providers, and employers from across the Wild Atlantic Way tuned into a special online briefing from Fáilte Ireland, which outlined the plans and priorities for the region in 2025.
A robust programme of initiatives is at the heart of these plans, designed to support tourism businesses across the Wild Atlantic Way region in driving revenue and maintaining competitiveness, ensuring the continued growth and sustainability of its tourism industry.
Key priorities in 2025 will focus on developing and opening new and enhanced capital projects, the continued sustainable development of the region, protecting and enhancing the uniqueness of the Wild Atlantic Way and delivering a robust range of practical supports to help tourism businesses tackle some of the immediate challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Capital investment
Six new capital projects across the Wild Atlantic Way are set to open in 2025:
Dún Aonghasa, Inis Mór, Galway: Redevelopment of the visitor centre to focus on climate change and ancient inhabitants, with satellite interpretation hubs.
Carrowmore, County Sligo: A new immersive exhibition linking to the Céide Fields, positioning Carrowmore as a Neolithic exploration hub.
New farm trail, Connemara National Park, Galway: Opening a previously inaccessible part of the park to alleviate pressure on existing trails.
Bray Head Signature Discovery Point, County Kerry: Transformed signal tower with a new viewing platform offering views of the Skelligs.
Outdoor water sports facilities: Four water sports facilities are due to be completed in 2025, one located on the Wild Atlantic Way in County Kerry.
Other major projects include the transformation of Westport House Estate and Galway Museum by 2027 and the redevelopment of Fort Dunree on the Inishowen Peninsula by 2028.
Continued sustainable destination development
Recognising the unique opportunities and challenges across the Wild Atlantic Way, Fáilte Ireland’s 2025 plans focus on tailored approaches for the northern and southern halves of the route to ensure greater regional and seasonal dispersal of visitors.
From Connemara to Donegal, Fáilte Ireland’s 2025 plans focus on increasing international visitor profiles and revenue. Investments in iconic attractions and collaborations with Tourism Northern Ireland under the Shared Island Scheme will help to encourage visitors to explore the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route as a unified experience.
From Galway city to Kinsale, the focus is on extending the tourism season, dispersing visitors more evenly, and maintaining competitiveness through enhancing existing experiences, investments in all-weather attractions, and strong visitor management plans.
Protecting and enhancing the uniqueness of the Wild Atlantic Way
Central to Fáilte Ireland’s 2025 plans for the Wild Atlantic Way is a dedication to protecting the cultural authenticity and wildness of the west coast.
Fáilte Ireland’s strategic partnership with Údarás na Gaeltachta will also see over €4 million in investment for Gaeltacht Island communities across two new visitor centres on Inis Mór and Cape Clear. These investments will both enhance the tourism infrastructure and help to manage visitor flow on these sensitive sites.
Additionally, the partnership will continue the roll-out of its Gaeilge agus Fáilte programme, which, in its first year, has helped 24 tourism businesses incorporate the Irish language into their tourism experiences.
Industry supports
Fáilte Ireland has developed a comprehensive range of support measures tailored to help the tourism industry address its most pressing challenges.
These include the continued roll-out of Fáilte Ireland’s Climate Action programme, which helps reduce costs, improve efficiency, and lower environmental impact. Specialised cost management clinics to help rising energy, payroll, and input costs. The Employer Excellence Programme supports the development of rewarding workplaces and careers in the sector.
Fáilte Ireland is also evolving its digital supports with new initiatives in digital accessibility and AI in tourism for 2025.
