Displaying items by tag: Doolin Express

Q: Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

24th June 2017

Newest And Fastest: Doolin-Aran Islands Ferry Enters Service

#NewFastFerry- The newest and largest fastferry between Doolin and the Aran Islands has recently begun operations with reduced sailings times by half, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Introduction of Doolin Express is a major advancement in the upgrade of the fleet for Co. Clare based operators Doolin Ferry. The company earlier this year announced the fastest crossings between Doolin and Inis Oírr, the nearest of the Aran Islands to the mainland.

By spending the day taking in the charms of Inis Oírr there is also on the return trip a stunning cruise under the world famous Cliffs of Moher as part of the Wild Atlantic Way. This is the operators most popular cruise option.

Doolin Express is a boost to services having increased capacity of a single ferry of just 100 passengers to the fastferry's 200. The travel experience of Doolin Express also brings passengers in greater comfort given a state of the art electronic stabilising system. This on board technology is to assist passengers that are prone to motion sickness.

In addition to the fastferry improving efficiencies, the newcomer will work towards meeting the operator’s sustainability and environmental goals.

Published in Ferry

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Fastest Ever Crossing Time Service to Aran Islands to Make Spring Debut in Doolin

Minister of Transport, Shane Ross at the Doolin Ferry Co. stand at the Holiday World Show, Dublin. The Clare based company is to introduce a 200-passenger ferry and operate the fastest ever crossing time on an Aran Islands route from April.

#FastestCrossing – A newly acquired passenger-only ferry is to offer the fastest ever crossing time to the Aran Islands, when Doolin Ferry introduce a highspeed craft just one month after the seasonal service resumes, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Speaking to Afloat at Holiday World Show, Dublin, Liam O’Brien, Director of Doolin Ferries, commented that the 200-passenger ferry, Doolin Express will from April, offer the fastest crossing time to the Aran Islands in just 15 minutes. The new ferry will considerably reduce the journey passage by shaving off 20 minutes from the old 35 crossing time on the Doolin Pier-Inis Oírr service.

The west Clare based operator acquired the fastferry, Blanche Hermine from France operator, Vedettes du Golfe. The craft had served islands in the Golfe du Morbihan, an almost enclosed sea near Vannes in southern Brittany.

Doolin Express will sail at a minimum speed of 19 knots on the service to Inis Oírr, the smallest but closest of the three Aran Islands to the mainland. Neighbouring islands are also served by the company to Inis Meáin and further west Inis Mór, the largest of these Atlantic isles off Galway Bay.

A rival operator also serves from Doolin along with those running from Rossaveal, Connemara and a freight-only link from Galway Port.

When the new ferry, Doolin Express enters service, she will become the largest of the fleet to carry passengers. Tranquility takes 100 passengers and Queen of Aran, a veteran on the west coast service with almost the same capacity.

Doolin Ferry (O’Brien Line) a family run business founded in 1970, also runs excursion trips by Cailin Or with 72 passengers to the spectacular Cliffs of Moher. This location is one of the many highlights dotted along the western seaboard.

In recent years the rugged coast stretching from counties Cork to Donegal has been branded as the Wild Atlantic Way. This has assisted in boosting tourism numbers and notably by targeting overseas visitors.

Published in Island News

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Marine Leisure & Aquatic Tourism

Domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million.

Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips.

While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities.

According to the National University of Galway (NUIG) research the average expenditure per coastal day trip in 2018 was calculated at €95. The equivalent for coastal overnight trips was €310. The estimated water-based activity expenditure per person per trip across the sample was €56 rising to €73 for the subsample that actually undertake waterbased activities on their coastal visits. The results also indicate that domestic tourists undertake the majority of their marine activities on the West and South coasts of Ireland and that there are notable differences in participation rates across age groupings, social classes and by family makeup.

A domestic tourist is defined in this report as a person who spends at least one night away from home on their trip. Total expenditure by domestic tourists in coastal areas was estimated to be €698 million in 2018, which represents 35% of the total expenditure by domestic tourists (using the broader Fáilte Ireland measure for domestic tourists that includes business trips equating to 10.92 million in total trips and €2,006 million in total revenue).

The marine-related activity expenditure, or what might truly be referred to as domestic marine tourism, is estimated to generate revenue of €381 million with €172 million being spent on water-based activities. Marine tourism makes up an estimated 19% of total domestic tourism expenditure.

Marine Leisure Tourism - FAQ

What is marine leisure tourism?

Coastal tourism refers to land-based and water-based tourism activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Coastal and Marine Tourism & Leisure are seen as one of the Blue Economy (BE) sectors that can help unlock the potential of multi-use of space at sea by engaging with Blue Growth (BG) sectors such as Aquaculture and Marine Renewable Energy among others.

Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

What marine leisure tourism studies have been conducted in Ireland?

NUI Galway carried out a survey of domestic residents in Ireland in 2019 as part of a survey entitled "Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland's Ocean Economy". The purpose of the household survey was to profile the domestic market for single-day trips (leisure) and overnight trips (tourism) for coastal and marine-related activities in Ireland. The results of the survey are also used to estimate what proportion of an Irish resident's total domestic tourism expenditure is in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion is spent on undertaking marine-related activities (marine tourism).

What were the results of the NUI marine leisure tourism study?

The NUI results highlight the important contribution that Ireland's marine and coastal resources make to the leisure experiences of the general population and the importance of the domestic tourism market to local coastal economies. The analysis indicates that domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million. Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips. While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. Satisfaction with the available marine-related leisure facilities was also found to be very high across all activities.