Water tourism in Ireland is set to rocket as a result of Tourism Ireland’s new €12m media campaign. The campaign sees 9.4 million Germans targeted with their own ad campaign which promotes rowing among other water activities. Meanwhile, some of the country’s biggest upcoming festivals will be heavily promoted to draw visitors from elsewhere in. Many of these festivals, including the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival, are held by Ireland’s waters and are sure to encourage travellers to take to the water themselves.
Trends in water tourism
Ireland ranks highly for its sustainability performance and recently came in 11th place on the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. As such, sustainable water tourism is big business in Ireland. Activities which involve little to no damage to the water are, therefore, heavily promoted. This means that rowing, swimming, surfing, windsurfing, kayaking, and canoeing are the activities which are most frequently available for tourists to participate in. That’s not to say that more invasive water activities can’t be enjoyed when the situation is right.
An extended stay
Richard and Rita Kennedy originally embarked on a 10-week sailing trip around Ireland, but it soon turned into one that lasted five months. This is considerably longer than the average length of a trip to Ireland which is 6.5 days, according to figures from Tourism Ireland. In the case where you fall in love with Ireland’s water and can’t bear to be parted with it, exploring it by boat is the way to go. Renting or buying a boat for the duration of your stay can cost a significant amount of cash, so you’ll need to plan your boat purchase wisely. If you’re not planning on sleeping onboard, a second-hand dinghy costing around €800 could be the way to go. But if you want something bigger and a little more homely, you’re looking at a price tag upwards of €25,000.
Where to go
If, like many other tourists, you’re planning on combining one of Ireland’s upcoming festivals with your water adventure then Nimmo’s Pier, Galway is the place to go. Not only will you get to enjoy the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival which this year is taking place between the 27th and 29th September, but, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get to see Nimmo the dolphin while you’re out on the water. Alternatively, if you’re looking to participate in some enjoyable water activities away from the hustle and bustle, the Barrow Valley offers swimming, sailing, water skiing, rowing, canoeing and kayaking in a tranquil and scenic setting, whereas the River Shannon is recommended if you’re a novice as there are large sections where there are no locks to manoeuvre.
Ireland looks set to see a surge in visitors over the coming months, and it’s water tourism which looks set to benefit. Best of all, you can be sure that when you head to Ireland for a break or extended trip, that there are plenty of fun water-based activities to get your teeth stuck into while helping to improve the country’s economy.