WWA puts Ireland on the global tourist map

This is an unalloyed and exuberant shout out for the Wild Atlantic Way (WWA), one of Ireland’s cleverest and most cost-effective initiatives to exploit its tourism resources. 

You can follow the WWA on Twitter where it posts drop dead gorgeous photographs taken by people travelling the route. Each shot is better than the next as they show images from the coast between Donegal and Cork. That feed alone is a huge rolling advertisement for one of the world’s great natural landscapes and it reminds us all that combining smart minds with technology is a powerful way to position Ireland on the global tourist map even more than ever.

The WWA cost relatively little to invent. A series of signs along the coast, a well structured website and the support of the industry has helped amplify something which many of us have known for years — the west coast of Ireland is a global treasure.

Think about it from the perspective of a hard-pressed employee in the middle of Beijing. Noise, pollution and congestion are hallmarks of your working week. The WWA offers quietness, some of the world’s cleanest air (choughs, abundant in the south-west, only tolerate pristine air) and waters (sea and river). Sprinkle on that the variety of walking or cycling options and the friendliness that defines hanging around rural Ireland and you’ll understand the power of the asset itself.

Access to that asset is another progressive development in the last five years, but more can be done. The road network towards the West, and especially through the key nodes of Galway, Limerick and Cork, has improved immeasurably. Air traffic is up since the abolition of the travel tax, and increased ferry services are now operating, in particular through Dublin and Rosslare. This helps explain why tourist numbers across Ireland are up 10% during 2014, but the self help initiatives such as the WWA are a valuable element too.

So, how much bigger could the WWA become, and with it the beneficial economic impulses that stem from more tourist boots on the ground? I’d go for the following;

* Shannon Airport sits almost dead centre on WWA’s coastal profile. It has huge headroom to raise its passenger throughput and could evolve as a key WWA hub that feeds tourists in to the system. Could the terminal facilities not evolve to provide more WWA centred services for visitors?

*  Motorbikes and jeeps are the best way to experience the WWA. The former provide the open air option while the latter give the elevated vantage point over landscapes that cars miss. Devising a competitively priced motorbike or jeep rental package would enhance the WWA’s appeal

* Ramp up the social media offering and website to provide richer content that supports a global WWA community which develops its own momentum.

It is, of course, up to the private sector to leverage the WWA in ways that enhance the resource too. One of the clear and obvious weaknesses is the seasonality that condemns the west coast to very low tourist volumes during winter. Should we really accept that as a structural reality or are there ways to boost tourist volumes in a period when accommodation prices and air fares are very low? What about more walking tours, high end packages targeted at wealthy retirees or culture focussed events designed specifically for winter visits?

The WWA was born amid the collapse of the Irish economy. It shows what can be done with a small budget, some imagination, foresight and embracing of new forms of marketing and communication. It warrants even more energy and investment forthwith.

Joe Gill is director of Corporate Broking with Goodbody Stockbrokers. His views are personal.