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Funding boost for Tipperary's ‘walkers paradise'

Funding boost for Tipperary's ‘walkers paradise'

The Glen of Aherlow is set to benefit from a funding package of €27,000 from the Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), which will see signage replaced and upgraded on the eight loop walks in the Glen of Aherlow.
The news was welcomed by Fine Gael councillor Declan Burgess who said that trails across Tipperary like the Glen of Aherlow, need more support so they can flourish.
"A sincere thank you to South Tipperary Development Company CLG for applying for this much needed funding, and to John Egan for his dedication and hard work on walking routes across south Tipperary,' Cllr Burgess said.
"The Glen is a stunning outdoor amenity, full of potential. Continued investment is essential to preserve and enhance these walking and hiking routes for locals and visitors alike,' he added.
The Glen of Aherlow sits in the valley between the Galtee Mountains and Slievenamuck, with around 9,900 acres of mature forest and wooded areas for people to enjoy, known as a walkers paradise due to the variety of walking trails on offer.
Five of the eight looped walks start from the Christ the King trailhead, while the final three start from the trailhead in the village of Lisvernane.
The walks include the Rock at Thorabh loop walk, Millennium Stone loop walk, the Woodland loop walk, the Bianconi loop walk, and the Ballinacourty loop walk, as well as Carroll's loop walk, Padraig's loop walk and the Dolmen loop walk.
"I have been a strong advocate for increased investment in the Glen, and I'm delighted that this Government funding will improve signage and support better route management,' Cllr Burgess added.
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Funding boost for Tipperary's ‘walkers paradise'
Funding boost for Tipperary's ‘walkers paradise'

Irish Independent

timea day ago

  • Irish Independent

Funding boost for Tipperary's ‘walkers paradise'

The Glen of Aherlow is set to benefit from a funding package of €27,000 from the Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), which will see signage replaced and upgraded on the eight loop walks in the Glen of Aherlow. The news was welcomed by Fine Gael councillor Declan Burgess who said that trails across Tipperary like the Glen of Aherlow, need more support so they can flourish. "A sincere thank you to South Tipperary Development Company CLG for applying for this much needed funding, and to John Egan for his dedication and hard work on walking routes across south Tipperary,' Cllr Burgess said. "The Glen is a stunning outdoor amenity, full of potential. Continued investment is essential to preserve and enhance these walking and hiking routes for locals and visitors alike,' he added. The Glen of Aherlow sits in the valley between the Galtee Mountains and Slievenamuck, with around 9,900 acres of mature forest and wooded areas for people to enjoy, known as a walkers paradise due to the variety of walking trails on offer. Five of the eight looped walks start from the Christ the King trailhead, while the final three start from the trailhead in the village of Lisvernane. The walks include the Rock at Thorabh loop walk, Millennium Stone loop walk, the Woodland loop walk, the Bianconi loop walk, and the Ballinacourty loop walk, as well as Carroll's loop walk, Padraig's loop walk and the Dolmen loop walk. "I have been a strong advocate for increased investment in the Glen, and I'm delighted that this Government funding will improve signage and support better route management,' Cllr Burgess added.

Irish Examiner view: Outlook for tourism is far from sunny
Irish Examiner view: Outlook for tourism is far from sunny

Irish Examiner

time3 days ago

  • Irish Examiner

Irish Examiner view: Outlook for tourism is far from sunny

We may be currently enjoying warm weather — but the outlook for our tourism industry is far from sunny, according to that sector's representative body. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has sounded a note of warning in its pre-budget submissions, saying the industry is in dire need of a raft of supporting measures, from increased Government investment to the removal of the Dublin Airport passenger cap. Its representatives say that visitor figures from America remain strong, but numbers from Europe and Britain are not as robust, and 'even the domestic market [numbers] are soft'. This is troubling, given the size and scope of the tourism industry — in the broadest sense, it has a presence in practically every village in the country. With the numbers directly or indirectly employed in the tourism sector, warnings about its viability must be taken seriously. It is worth pointing, however, to some of ITIC's points, such as its admission that Irish tourism cannot hope to compete with Mediterranean countries on price. This is immediately obvious to anyone holidaying in Spain, for instance, but it underlines the fact that at a time when rising costs make bargain hunters of all of us, there is better value to be had elsewhere. The ITIC spokesman also said: 'Eurostat came out with figures just last month which showed that Ireland was the second-most expensive country in the EU — so that obviously finds its way through to restaurant bills, pub bills, hotel bills.' There is a certain amount of chicken-and-egg reasoning here. Many Irish citizens would point to high prices for hotels, restaurants, and pubs as contributing to the sense of Ireland being an expensive country, rather than high costs 'finding their way through' to bills in those establishments. 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Warning that tourism in Ireland at 'tipping point'
Warning that tourism in Ireland at 'tipping point'

RTÉ News​

time3 days ago

  • RTÉ News​

Warning that tourism in Ireland at 'tipping point'

The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) is calling for the lifting of the Dublin Airport passenger cap, increased Government spending, as well as the restoration of the 9% hospitality VAT rate in order to boost tourism in the country, which it said is at a "tipping point". In its Budget submission, the ITIC warns of "double-digit" declines in tourists coming to Ireland and that the country is overdependent on US visitors. "2025 has been a challenging year," said ITIC chief executive Eoghan O'Mara Walsh. "The North American market has been strong... but other markets, unfortunately, are soft - Great Britain, Continental Europe and even the domestic market are soft." In order to address this, the confederation - which represents 20,000 tourism and hospitality businesses - wants to see annual Government spending on tourism services increased by €90 million to around €340 million. This funding, it said, would support a market diversification strategy to reduce the reliance on American tourists. That would include looking to boost the number of visitors coming here from the likes of Britain and Germany. Mr O'Mara Walsh said Ireland will not be able to compete on price with the likes of Mediterranean countries, but it must work to maintain its value. "Eurostat came out with figures just last month which showed that Ireland was the second most expensive country in the EU - so that obviously finds its way through to restaurant bills, pub bills, hotel bills," he said. "What's key is that we maintain our value proposition and, thankfully, the surveys to date... says Ireland still maintains its value proposition, but it's certainly under pressure. "It's vital that we, as an industry, maintain the quality of our product," he stressed. One thing ITIC feels will help to achieve that is the reduction of the hospitality VAT rate to 9%, with that cut extended to visitor attractions and adventure operators. The Programme for Government pledged such a move but doubt has been cast on it recently, in large part due to the growing uncertainty around the direction of the global economy and the health of Ireland's exchequer finances. "If you talk to tourism businesses up and down the country, costs of business are the big recurring feedback," he said. "Whether that's utilities or energy, or labour or insurance - costs of business are really squeezing margins. "The VAT rate at 13.5% is one of the higher VAT rates for tourism services across the whole of the EU." The Department of Finance has projected that such a cut would cost almost €870m a year, while critics have pointed out that many firms that would benefit are already in a healthy trading position and do not need such support. However Mr O'Mara Walsh said a VAT cut was the easiest way to support a sector was through a VAT cut - though he also would not oppose any attempt to focus the change on specific businesses. "I have no problem if Revenue want to take the McDonald's chains out of the equation and just focus on home-grown tourism and hospitality businesses," he said. "But I think the thing to remember is that margins in this sector are really, really squeezed - we're a labour intensive business, we operate on very thin margins". "When demand is so mixed, and when the outlook is so uncertain, we need as much help as possible," he said. In relation to the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, the organisation notes that 70% of the tourist economy is dependent on international visitors. The cap limits the number of passengers travelling through the airport terminals to 32 million a year. The ITIC is calling for this limit, which is included in the Programme for Government, to be lifted and said this "should happen in tandem with supporting the regional state airports of Cork and Shannon".

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