Major Sligo tourist attraction needed
THE hunt is on to find a single major tourist attraction which can make Sligo stand out.
The October meeting of the Council heard that Sligo is losing out because it has no visitor attraction capable of attracting over 100,000 visitors, either paid or free.
It’s resulted in lower than average visitor spend and stay time from both Irish and foreign tourists.
Both the Council and Sligo Tourism Ltd see the identification of a major tourist attraction as a key element of a new Tourism Strategic Plan 2018-2023.
Sligo Tourism Ltd appointed tourism consultants First Western Ltd to work on developing the strategy and they began research on a feasibility study in July.
Written submissions are also being sought from interested parties.
There will also be a series of focused consultations with tourism industry stakeholders under a number of themes.
These include Festivals and Events, Adventure and Outdoors, Accommodation, Food, Heritage, Entertainment and Retail.
In 2015, 186,000 overseas visitors spent ¤51million, while 242,000 Irish tourists spent ¤61million here.
Members heard from Director of Services Dorothy Clarke that the European market showed the fastest growth while the British market also grew in 2015.
However the impact of Brexit in 2016 may show a different trend when the 2016 figures are available.
Workshop consultations have also begun with key decision making bodies in the county, such as Sligo County Council, Sligo Tourism Ltd, Municipal District of Sligo, Municipal District of Ballymote-Tubbercurry, the Planning, Community & Economic Development, Arts & Culture Committee and a Local Community Development Committee.
Councillor Marie Casserly said it was the first time she had seen members from across the board come together.
“They will take ownership of the Strategy,” she said.
Councillor Paul Taylor asked that South Sligo Tourism be consulted and recognised and added they would also make a submission.
Written submissions can be emailed to submissions@sligococo.ie by 4pm Friday 20 th October.
The draft Strategic Plan is expected to be ready by the end of the year.