Displaying items by tag: Sport Northern Ireland

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

5th September 2023

Record Engagement with Water Safety Programme Reported by Sport Northern Ireland

Sport Northern Ireland has announced that the 2023 Get Wet Stay Safe Programme has achieved record engagement this year. The initiative, now in its second year, aims to raise awareness about water safety and has seen over 1,300 people participate in training sessions since the campaign began.

The campaign is designed to educate the public about the risks associated with water-based activities and to promote water safety messaging to StandUp Paddleboard users, Sit on Top Kayak users, and open water swimmers across Northern Ireland.

From May until August this year, the scheme saw weekly training sessions held in every county across the country. Get Wet Stay Safe, which is funded by SportNI, is part of a joint initiative with Swim Ireland, Swim Ulster, the RNLI, Irish Surfing, and the Outdoor Partnership, with marketing support from Outdoor Recreation NI.

Richard Archibald, Director of Sport at Sport NI, said: “It has been brilliant to see the increase in people taking part in water sports across Northern Ireland. Water sports are a great way to stay active and being outdoors has many benefits for our mental health and wellbeing, but open water also has significant risks."

Over the past two years, more than 1,000 people have participated in the Get Wet Stay Safe program, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to enjoy their time on the water safely while being aware of the risks and what to do should a problem arise.

The program has seen a syllabus for training in StandUp Paddleboarding and sit-on-top kayaking established through engagement between the head of paddle sport at Tollymore National Outdoor Centre and the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland. All of the tutors who deliver the programme are qualified paddle sport instructors.

Richard Timms, Open Water Swimming Development Officer at Swim Ulster, commented: “We are thrilled with the success of the Get Wet Stay Safe campaign to date. This unique initiative continues to educate on water safety, arming participants with essential skills and lifesaving knowledge."

As part of the scheme, participants were asked to complete an Outcomes Based Accountability survey. Ethan Loughrey, Communication and Training Executive at Outdoor Recreation NI, said: “Participation in the initiative is at an all-time high, with 729 people engaging in training sessions to date, despite some adverse weather conditions. The results of our Outcomes Based Accountability survey show that at least 92% of the feedback from participants on all aspects of the training was very good."

At Outdoor Recreation NI, we’re aware of the many health benefits of exploring the great outdoors and would encourage people across Northern Ireland to do so safely and responsibly, Loughrey added.

Published in Water Safety

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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.