(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, March 31, 2015 ) Limerick, Ireland -- At this moment, thousands of touristss are exploring the path of the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches from Donegal in the North to Cork in the South of Ireland.
This new tourist trek is one of the factors that accounts for the increase in visitors to Ireland, especially Limerick and the West Coast, in the past 12 months. According to the Central Statistics Office, there was a 10.3 per cent increase in overseas visitors to the region last year.
Barratt Tours chief executive Dick Martin says "there was a significant increase in British tourist numbers last year and the increase in continental customers was being felt in recent months. It looks like being another record year for US tourists, with numbers up by more than 10.6 per cent."
The Wild Atlantic Way is cited by Mr. Martin to explain the increase in visitors, "It's certainly helping us an awful lot," Dick says. "We are between two of the major destination points in the area - Limerick City and the Cliffs Of Moher - and this year we've noticed a significant increase in tourists from Britain".
This year too they've noticed a lot of Irish doing the stay-at-home thing. "We're getting a lot more locals and a lot from France and Italy and of course the North Americans, but also quite a few Canadians." said Mr. Martin.
Many in the tourist industry say the success of the Wild Atlantic Way shows how such initiatives can encourage tourists to see more than Dublin. "We needed a strategy to tackle the Shannon, the midlands and the Border region. The recovery is not lifting all boats," says Dick. "But the Wild Atlantic Way seems to be doing a good job".
Other industry areas that have benefited are the pub and restaurant trades. According to the Vintners Federation of Ireland the future of the Irish pub is looking secure again. "More than 1,000 pubs closed in the past six or seven years but now some doors are being reopened and they are offering much more than just drink, says Pádraig Cribben "Some 80 per cent of people state they are using pubs for food now," Cribben says.
Restaurant Association of Ireland chief executive Adrian Cummins says the Wild Atlantic Way has helped many of his members. Adrian says restaurants with outdoor seating outside have done particularly well after a good summer last year, "but tourists still complain about the price of drink and we got hit with excise duty twice in the last two budgets."
Still optimism rules for 2015 especially with coach tour operators along the West Coast. "I have no doubt that this project will prove to be a game-changer for tourism in the west and will lure ever greater numbers of visitors to Ireland," says Dick Martin of Barratt Tours. Dick added "We advise people to start planning today for their trip to one of the world's most dramatic coastal landscapes."
You can find out more about booking a trip with Barratt Tours along the Wild Atlantic Way here: http://www.4tours.biz
About Barratt Tours: Barratt Tours is a subsidiary of Martins Coaches which is a family-run business. Dick and Eily created Martin's Coaches over 33 years ago, in 1973, and are still running it to date, although they are more involved in the local side of the company's activities. Today, sons Patrick and William are also involved. Patrick is a qualified mechanic and looks after servicing the coaches. William and his wife Noëlle look after the administration, office and customer relations.In 2006, the company moved into a custom build new premises in Annacotty Business park, Co. Limerick, with large 3 bay, fully equipped garage, bright offices and plenty of coach parking spaces.
