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THE WILD ATLANTIC Way has been named a ‘Best International Self-Drive Route’, at an awards ceremony in Shanghai.
The campaign that focused along the west coast of Ireland was one of the destinations listed in the ‘Best International Self-Drive Route’ category – along with routes in Sweden, Malaysia, Tasmania, California and Florida.
The winning routes were chosen by about 10 million Chinese travellers, who voted through an online system.
Accepting the award, James Kenny, Tourism Ireland’s manager in China, said:
“Chinese travellers have so much choice nowadays, which makes it more important than ever for us to ensure that the island of Ireland really stands out from other destinations – so this award is really good news.”
The awards were organised by a car rental portal in China, HuiZuChe.
Tourism Ireland has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. As well as working closely with Chinese travel and lifestyle journalists, the organisation also teams up with businesses in aviation and the travel trade.
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Yes, yes, a great bunch of lads. Very funny.
Done the Wild Atlantic Way last year , great views if you could only get a chance to enjoy them, without some A..ehole reading the newspaper on the back window, while their waiting to overtake…
Steady there nowTed…..
Looking forward to meeting loads of elderly Asian drivers on the road. What could possibly go wrong?
Noh Pah King?
@David Dickenson: they might drive on the wong side of the road
Wild awanktic way
Ireland could do itself no harm in making it easier for Chinese Tourists to come here. Those that could afford to come here would of the wealthy kind who like to spend like it’s going out of fashion. And as most travel in large tour groups they would be using local coaches and filling individual hotels.
@Mick Jordan: If we entice some Chinese tourists we might be able to reclaim up to 0.1% of the money we give them to feed our addiction to cheap consumer goods that come from there that we are too lazy to make ourselves
To be fair, my Huawei mobile is better than anything I could come up with myself.
Nobody is forcing you to buy Chinese products mr whingey
I’ve noticed that the Chinese tourist market to Ireland has really grown over the past few years. They come in large groups and spend big. Plus they seem to be polite and friendly guests. Let’s hope it keeps going.
It’s a stunningly beautiful route, but it’s becoming a victim of its own success. Large parts of it during summer are a never-ending convoy of tour busses, camper vans and hire cars
@Garry Mannion: The route has always been there, it is just cleaver marketing by Tourism Ireland which has made it popular with overseas visitors.
So they didn’t actually drive the Atlantic Way then, they just voted online.
Is this like people who believe they are at the World Cup by clicking on a Facebook page?
Armchair travellers.
@Emmet O’Keeffe: Not at all,sure wasn’t that them flying them Russian bear aircraft things that was in the news last year . They say they can Astral travel also esotericism it s called. The Chinese gasve us the I Ching and had the same machines in the 10 century that were used in the industrial revolution 800 years before England knew what a cog or hydro power was.
Voted on by 10 million mainly Chinese people. The traffic jam wouldn’t stop in Mongolia before they turn left for Mullaghmore
Subtle propoganda reminders that actual Chinese people come to Ireland on holidays are part of the deal agreed between Enda Kenny and Xi Jingping when he to visit a couple of years back.
Actually its just one part of their ever more popular big European tour.
Steve from Ennis has 1st hand experience of building in-depth relationships with our Chinese friends.
I’d like to see how long a Chinese made car would last on it.
The Wild Atlantic Way is now a tourism region which includes non coastal counties.like Rosscomon, Leitrim and West Limerick
Ching Ching.
Chinese drivers No survivors
They should add the coast of Spain and market it as the “Mild Atlantic Way” when the wild way is blocked with tractors and no one can see anything or leave their cars for the rain. Maybe we could do a swap ? Spanish tourists for rain tourism and ….
An unnoticed, un-remarked trend is the increase of those coming to the Cliffs of Moher for the Final Jump.
Sure that’s still only 0.75% of the population. How about the other 1.29bn? Still good news though.
Belmullet has it’s own Chinatown
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