Brexit fallout sees collapse of southeast tourism project
With no successor to the Ireland-Wales European Territorial Co-operation Programme, Tourism Minister, Catherine Martin said that she has asked her officials to "keep under review the potential for future collaborative tourism initiatives with Wales.” Picture: Denis Scannell
A busy tourist project connecting Ireland's southeast with three Welsh counties will come to an end in August due to a collapse in funding.
Launched in 2019, Celtic Routes was designed to expand and promote links between Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow and Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, and Ceredigion in Wales. However, after four years in operation, the fallout of Brexit has seen funding for the tourism route dry up, with the project set to end on the 31st of August if new funds cannot be found.
Aiming to increase visitor travel between the two areas, a recent report shows that more than 315 million people globally have viewed publicity and promotion for Celtic routes online, with more than 140 businesses across both countries engaging with the project.
Initially, €2m in funding was provided under the European Territorial Co-operation Programme, with the Welsh government in 2020 announcing further funding arrangements to replace those previously administered by the EU in a post-Brexit landscape. In total, close to €4m has been invested in the project.
"This is a significant interlink between the counties in the southeast and our nearest geographical neighbour," said TD Brendan Howlin, who has called on the government to step in and save the project.
With no successor to the Ireland-Wales European Territorial Co-operation Programme, Tourism Minister, Catherine Martin said that she has asked her officials to "keep under review the potential for future collaborative tourism initiatives with Wales.”
Gathering 300 million views in total through a combination of social media, print, Out of Home and programmatic advertising, analytics showed peaks of interest for the tourism project from the Indian Sub-Continent and Southern Europe as well as traditional markets such as the UK, USA, Germany and France.
Just last summer, a TV series filmed across all six counties involved has since been shown on S4C in Wales and the BBC iPlayer with TG4 showing it in Ireland just last month.
"Celtic Routes has been one of the most successful projects that has ever crossed my desk," said Project Partner Michael Nicholson, Director of Service with Wicklow County Council.
"Having 300 million people view our area is extraordinary, none of our Partners could have achieved that result on their own.”
Project Officer, Wexford-based Oonagh Messette called the collapse of the project a "terrible shame," adding that despite willingness from stakeholders, much will be lost without the necessary funding.
"For such a valuable resource for the tourism and hospitality industry in both countries to be lost would be nothing short of a disaster”, said Ms Messette. “A way has to be found to save this unique venture.”
