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Displaying items by tag: Grand Canal

The 15th Lock on the Grand Canal has been closed to navigation until Tuesday, 13th July in order to carry out emergency repairs to the lock gate. Every effort is being made to restore the lock to service as soon as possible.

Published in Inland Waterways

A route that follows the Grand Canal on the inland waterways being opened today provides access for walkers and cyclists from West Dublin right into Dublin centre. Details of the new route – that cost Euro 25 million – is in this morning's Irish Times by Paul Cullen here.

Published in Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland have reminded users of the Grand Canal that as part of ongoing developments at Shannon Harbour, the provisions of S.I No. 24/1988: Canals Act, 1986 Bye-law (25, 1 (d)) will be applied on all hard edged moorings in the harbour area with effect from 08 May 2010.  This area is deemed to be between 35th Lock and Griffith Bridge. 

This will ensure that there is a clear channel for navigation at all times and will make for easy access to berthage by visiting vessels wishing to avail of the refurbished facilitates.

Vessels should only moor directly onto quay walls and not double or triple berth.  Alternative berthing is available east of Griffith Bridge.

Vessels should only be moored singly on either side of the canal to permit the safe passage of craft.  Bye-law (25, 1 (b) states that sufficient space must remain so that two vessels can pass at the same time.  Berthage is also available on the north bank between 35th and 36th Lock.

Vessels in contravention of this bye-law will be moved off the area as space becomes available. Vessels without a valid permit will also be moved. 



Published in Inland Waterways
Page 18 of 18

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

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.

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

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).

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.

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