A new tourism initiative targeting adventure travel tourists was launched by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny this week with the aim of bringing a slice of the $89billion global adventure market to Mayo. Greenway Adventures is a collection of 11 Mayo-based adventure tourism providers that, together, form the county’s first adventure trail.
The trail comprises land and water-based activities in a collection of soft, family and extreme adventure offerings, allowing tourists the opportunity to mix and match myriad adventure activities in one area. These include rock climbing, abseiling, wind and kite surfing , paddle boarding as well as fishing, sailing, hiking/walking and equestrian pursuits. Collectively, the Greenway Adventure members employ 76 and have an economic impact of €6.3million on the local economy.
As the name suggests, the Greenway Adventures trail follows the route of the Great Western Greenway, one of Europe’s Destinations of Excellence (EDEN ), which attracted 110,000 visitors last year. It is the brainchild of Mulranny Park Hotel and Blackfield Surf School and follows in the wake of the hotel’s launch last year of the Gourmet Greenway food trail which, in twelve months, has doubled in size and contributed €1million to the local economy.
Launching Greenway Adventures, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny commented, “I am delighted to wish Greenway Adventures well with this great addition to Mayo's tourism offering. Tourism will play a key role in Ireland's recovery. The development of innovative tourism products which exploit the country's natural advantages, such as adventure tourism, can tap into a significant potential market”.
The Greenway Adventures members are: Mulranny Walking Guides; Clew Bay Bike Hire; Saoirse na Mara Sea Kayaking; Blackfield Surf School; Clew Bay Angling; Pure Magic (kitesurfing and paddle boarding ); Bellagragher Bay Boat Club (traditional and high-speed sailing ); Calvey’s Equestrian; Rock le Tomas (rock-climbing, abseiling ) Professional Coaching Services (windsurfing ) and Surf Mayo.
A Greenway Adventures guide featuring a map, information and contact details for all 11 members – including GPS co-ordinates – is available from Mulranny Park Hotel, tourism offices and adventure tourism providers. A pdf version is also available on www.mulrannyparkhotel.ie
