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"Market Inishowen and Derry together"
18.02.09
BUNCRANA and Derry
councillors have joined forces to push for Inishowen
and its nearest city to be promoted together to
maximise the tourism potential of each.
Sinn Féin's Cllr Pádraig MacLochlainn and Cllr Maeve
McLaughlin want the Irish Government to promote the
peninsula and Derry as a catchment area offering
great beauty and variety to visitors.
Cllr McLaughlin called for a revamp in the way the
North West is marketed.
“The present structure where the Derry Visitor &
Convention Bureau (DVCB) is linked with the Regional
Tourism Partnership means Derry is promoted in
conjunction with Fermanagh and Tyrone rather than
our natural hinterland of Donegal. |
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"With a very limited
budget, the DVCB is also obliged to promote these
other areas within its marketing activities despite
these regions having very little obvious links.
Also, areas like the Causeway coast and |
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Belfast continue to
enjoy the major slice of NITB’s activities and
funding structures," she said.
Her cross-border colleague added: “The natural
beauty and resources of Donegal combined with its
proximity to the historic attractions of Derry City
is under-promoted as the region of outstanding
natural beauty that it is. Visitor numbers collated
over the last five years would bear out this
analysis.
"A range of issues needing attention spring to mind
such as the infrastructure required to attract
tourists. Sections of the Inishowen 100 route for
example require attention and repair; there is a
lack of signposting to and maintenance of heritage
sites like Northburgh Castle in Greencastle, Grianan
of Aileach and Ireland’s most northerly point -
Malin Head, just to highlight a few areas where
there is a dearth of visitor interpretative and
service facilities," said Cllr MacLochlainn.
He said the Inishowen Tourism body is "consigned to
one small office in Carndonagh" because of
inadequate budget allocation.
He called for imaginative initiatives to be taken
including making tourist information booths
available in post offices and making Donegal
literature available in Derry City tourism outlets. |
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