Fáilte Ireland will be allocated €68m in EU Just Transition funding to transform tourism across eight counties in Ireland’s midlands.
he funding, which could swell to €169m when matched with Exchequer resources, will help provide new jobs and sustain communities in areas “that were heavily dependent on peat” by diversifying the local economy, it said.
Counties Laois, Westmeath, Offaly, Longford, Roscommon, Galway, Tipperary and Kildare are to benefit through a regenerative tourism and place-making scheme that will add new trails, visitor amenities and “low-carbon accommodation” to the midlands.
Some €30m will be allocated to deliver a network of walking, cycling and water-based trails, Fáilte Ireland said – by repurposing former narrow-gauge rail track, industrial bridges or culverts, for example.
The EU Just Transition fund exists to support regions and communities negatively affected by the transition to climate neutrality.
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Tourism Minister Catherine Martin
Tourism Minister Catherine Martin
Ireland is set to receive up to €84.5m from it up to 2027. When the funding is matched by the Government, up to €169m will be available, Fáilte Ireland said.
The scheme could “transform tourism in the midlands”, Tourism Minister Catherine Martin said.
“The funding confirmed today will enable the development of a network of trails linked to existing and emerging greenways,” she added.
It would also support tourism businesses developing infrastructure and experiences, “repurpose buildings for small-scale tourism developments” and support the use of smart technology and digitalisation to benefit visitors and businesses.
Fáilte Ireland’s CEO Paul Kelly said it would help deliver projects of scale that “will enhance the appeal of the midlands as a tourist destination for generations to come”.
The National Tourism Development Authority would work with businesses and communities, local and regional authorities and partners such as Waterways Ireland and Coillte to “enhance the potential of the region as a place to live and work” and enhance the area with “world-class tourism and recreation infrastructure”, he added.
The scheme “will support the transition of the midlands to a carbon-neutral destination” by funding sustainable tourism projects, Fáilte Ireland said.
