Disappointment as just 130 residents avail of cut-price deal to access Cliffs

ONLY 130 people have, so far, availed of a cut-price deal for Clare residents to have unlimited access to the Cliffs of Moher.

In advance of a new €6 charge last August for adults to see the 600ft-high attraction, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre announced details of a local pass to give Clare people an unlimited number of visits to the Cliffs and the exhibition centre for €12 until the end of this year.

With 82,385 adult residents in Clare, the scheme had the potential to create a windfall of between €500,000 and €1 million for the centre if there was a significant take-up.

However, director of the centre, Katherine Webster confirmed the numbers availing of the local pass, to date, was between 110 and 130.

Cllr Martin Conway said the figures were disappointing but added: “It is far too early to label the scheme a failure”.

The Fine Gael councillor said: “The scheme is more than fair to locals. It has been available since last August. It is not a case of people not being happy with the scheme — they just haven’t had the time to apply. People lead busy lives.

“I would expect as we get closer to the summer, the number of applications will rise and there will be a couple of thousand who will have purchased local passes this year.”

Ms Webster said: “We see this as a good take-up of the pass and expect to see a small amount of more growth in the number.”

She confirmed visitor numbers last year were 720,574 — a 5.5% drop on 2009 figures.

She said the drop should be viewed in the context of a 16% drop in overseas visitor numbers to Ireland.

“For the last four months of 2010, visitor numbers were up by 10% on the same period in 2009.”

Ms Webster said she was not in a position to state if the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre Experience recorded a profit or loss in 2010.

“We are still completing the final accruals for 2010 and will be publishing our financial results by 31st March.”

The company currently employs 28 staff and Ms Webster said that she anticipates “taking on a small number of additional seasonal staff for the high season.

“We expect 2011 will be another challenging year for tourism in Clare and the west of Ireland. Early indications are that we may be seeing some signs of recovery in the important North American market.”