Last year Fáilte Ireland, announced its new five year plan to drive tourism in Waterford.
As the plan explains: “The Waterford Destination and Experience Development Plan (DEDP) aims to create a sustainable tourism destination by extending the tourism season and spreading business across the county over the next five years”.
“The development of the five-year plan provides a shared vision and clear direction towards improved development, strengthening the promotion of the area’s unique features by growing the destination’s market share through the delivery of priority projects and hero experiences that seek to maximise the key strengths of the area.”
This plan also promised an “attraction of scale” for County Waterford.
At the most recent meeting of the Plenary Council it was confirmed that the plans for this “attraction of scale” would soon be announced.
“There are two reports that Fáilte are concerned with,” explained Council CEO Sean McKeown.
“One is the strategic assessment report on if an attraction of scale is to come to Waterford, where exactly should it be located—the general area of the North Quays, Mount Misery, where?” he said.
“So there’s a strategic assessment report around that. It will be very technical and there will be a range of criteria used to decide upon a location.
“The second thing then is what should an attraction of scale be?” he continued “Should it simply be an ‘Eiffel Tower’ kind of attraction, or an ‘Angel of the North’, where it becomes a tourist attraction in itself, or should it actually be an attraction which brings footfall and people actually go into it? There is a report with recommendations on that,” Mr McKeown added.
Councillor Mary Roche, commented: “Surely you cannot have one without the other?” to which Mayor Seamus Ryan said was a fair point but did not allow Mr. Keown to reply.
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
