Displaying items by tag: Economic Taskforce

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

14th December 2022

Shannon Foynes Port Welcomes Government's Vision for Estuary's Potential in Offshore Renewable Energy and National Transport Hub

The Shannon Foynes Port Company has welcomed the backing by the government of the Shannon Estuary as a premier location for offshore renewable energy in addition as a transport hub for Ireland.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar on Monday published the interim report of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce has identified how the region can play a leading role in the transition to renewable energy by generating and accelerating the increase of floating offshore wind energy from 2030. As well as becoming a hub for Sustainable Transport Technologies and a western “Digital Gateway” to Europe.

The report identifies investment in the port of Foynes and ESB’s Moneypoint terminal, a new auction for floating wind generation in 2024, the development of clean energy such as green hydrogen, solar energy installations and anerobic digestion facilities. In addition to the Estuary becoming an international renewable energy hub, the report also identifies the potential doubling of tourism numbers through outdoor sports and adventure, business and leisure events, and cruise ship arrivals.

Commenting on the report and government backing of it, Shannon Foynes Port authority Chief Executive Pat Keating: “This is an emphatic and welcome vote of confidence from Government in the transformational potential of the estuary and a key moment in the journey towards the emergence here of a global renewable energy hub and national transport hub.

“We have been making the case here at Shannon Foynes Port for some time in relation to the potential of the estuary but, as per its welcome today for the Interim Report of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce, the government is unambiguous in its support around the vision for the Estuary.”

Mr Keating added: “In our recently updated Vision 2041 masterplan by global experts Bechtel, we set out a roadmap for the estuary as a renewable energy hub of international scale as we set about harnessing Europe’s best wind regime, which exists on the west coast. That’s the prize for this region and for Ireland, one that can transform our economy and our climate change journey.

“We have a lot of work to do to make it happen, not least through investment in road, rail and port infrastructure. However, the backing today from government is a huge and essential statement of intent that we very much welcome.”

Published in Shannon Estuary

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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.