Marine tourism ‘major contribution’ to local and national economy

A report released by SEMRU – the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit at NUI Galway –  reports total overseas coastal tourism expenditure of €1.9bn and marine tourism value topping €650m in 2018.

The report presents a profile of overseas tourism activity in coastal Ireland across 20 coastal and marine activities and estimates what proportion of total holiday expenditure was coastal tourism and what proportion involved marine-related leisure activities (marine tourism).

The most popular land-based coastal activities were walking/running along the coast/beach/cliffs, coastal sightseeing, beach or seaside / island trips. The most popular water-based activities were sea swimming, sea angling and recreational boating of different types.

West coast attractions

Dr Stephen Hynes, co-author of the report and Director of SEMRU said the contribution of international tourists to Ireland’s coastal economy was “significant”, particularly to the counties located on the west coast:

“Tracking overseas visitors’ marine-related spending patterns is essential to understanding and developing adaptive policy-making strategies that can respond to active tourists’ expectations (leisure and tourism activities) in these coastal areas.”

The results indicate that overseas visitors undertake the majority of these activities on the west coast in counties Kerry, Galway and Clare. The report also notes that 69% of these visitors were aware of the Wild Atlantic Way and had planned an average of 2.5 days on the route during their visit.

Professor Alan Ahearne, Director of the Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway, said the results underscored the vital role that coastal and marine tourism plays in regional development:

“With Brexit likely to add to regional imbalances in this county, it is crucial for our economy that we continue to invest in coastal and marine tourism product and infrastructure to attract tourists from abroad.”