A NEW TOURIST trail has been launched in Dublin, which will guide visitors through the city’s sights from College Green to Kilmainham.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar announced yesterday that the €4 million tourism development for the capital is called the Dubline.

He said described it as a “fully-interactive and innovative way of telling the Dublin story”,  and a unique cultural and heritage walking trail.

With tourism currently worth over €1.5 billion to Dublin, the Minister said the Dubline aims to grow this by incorporating technology, dynamic signage including wi-fi links, and dedicated branding.

The goal is to give walkers an interactive, informative and enjoyable trail through the city.

The Dubline will build on €5.5 million worth of recent tourism capital investments in Meeting House Square, Dublinia and  The Book of Kells exhibition at Trinity College. It will involve:

• Further investment in visitor attractions and infrastructure, including the development of a new visitor meeting point along the route;
• Themed walking trails based around the central route;
• Better access to the heritage of the area through online, mobile and traditional media;
• Improving the  pedestrian environment;
• High profile marketing of the Dubline to both domestic and international visitors.

The full plan for the project can be seen at www.dubline.ie.

Minister Varadkar explained:

The Dubline will tell the story of the city of Dublin, and will become a focal point for visitors. A walk from Trinity College to Kimainham takes you through centuries of Irish history, including our Viking, medieval, Norman and Anglo-Irish pasts. This new initiative will combine the ancient era with modern technology to immerse tourists in Dublin’s history.

Minister Varadkar announced that he was providing €3.5 million in funding through Fáilte Ireland to implement the initiative but that he was also very pleased that Dublin City Council and the OPW were also on board.

Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Andrew Montague, welcomed the launch of the Dubline, saying the process “has involved a broad range of participants drawn from many different spheres – heritage, culture, the arts, tourism, business, academia as well as those representing the interests of the locality”.

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