An exciting new plan to put Castlebar on the map as a vibrant destination for shopping, entertainment, culture, sports, and leisure, looks set to boost visitor numbers to the county town.
The ambitious project is led by some of Castlebar’s key players in the arts, entertainment and retail sectors, under the auspices of the chamber of commerce.
The 13-member group, who have been working together since last February under the name ‘Destination Castlebar’, have just engaged the services of a key creative agency, and are currently developing a brand identity for the town.
The Destination Marketing project was one of the main goals to emerge from the Chamber’s Vision 2020 initiative – and is one of a number of other planned developments, including town centre enhancement and an enterprise network.
“Castlebar has several key events and venues that attract huge visitor numbers,” said committee chairperson Padraic McGuinness. “Much of the time, however, people only experience a fraction of what the town has to offer. Our challenge will be to let them know about the complete range of attractions – from shopping, to culture, to sports and leisure. Initially, our aim will be to reach existing visitors – as well as those travelling on to other locations - and invite them to experience more activities, and to spend more time and money in Castlebar.
“We’re very much aware that we won’t be competing directly with destinations like Westport. What we will do is offer something completely different. There’s great potential to attract visitors to the county to spend some of their holiday in Castlebar, whether that’s for shopping, a concert or a match.”
Creative partner Impact Media, which is headed up by Castlebar native Niall McGarry, is currently working intensively with the committee on brand development, and a very successful workshop was held at the IBiC centre last week.
“We will be collaborating closely with Impact Media to ensure the brand is well received and something that will raise civic pride in Castlebar,” noted Mr McGuinness.
In addition to a series of information events for the town’s different business sectors, more details will be available at a major fundraising event in Castlebar on July 16. Fawlty Towers – The Dining Experience will be held at 8pm at the Royal Theatre and Event Centre, followed by a race night.
More information on the fundraising event is available from Castlebar Chamber of Commerce on 094 902 4845.
