FÁILTE IRELAND HAS said that the Wild Atlantic Way, the tourism route along the Atlantic coast, is worth €3 billion per year to the Irish economy. 

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Fáilte Ireland’s chief executive Paul Kelly said that the project had led to the creation of thousands of new businesses along the route and over 35,000 jobs along with them. 

He described the project as a “fabulous piece of branding” by former head of Fáilte Ireland Séan Quinn in 2014.

“It’s still a really, really young brand,” he said, adding that it has been “embraced” by local councils and communities. 

He also said that tens of millions of Euro have been invested in infrastructure along the tourist trail, including in visitor attractions and walkways. 

Tourism Minister Catherine Martin said today that the Wild Atlantic Way “is now a household name and cements Ireland’s reputation as a must-visit tourism destination”.

She commended Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland on their successful work over the last 10 years.