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£100m Larne Eco-Harbour Plans Approved

26 June 2009
Plans to build a £100m harbour eco-village on the site of a derelict cement works and quarry near Larne have been given the go-ahead.

The mixed use development on the site of Magheramorne Quarry will include 450 environmentally-friendly homes, restaurants, retail units, a community centre, a hotel, a harbour-side tourist point with viewing tower, boating facilities and a chandlery, a heritage railway and visitor centre, an ecology/art park and also film studios and a backlot.

Visiting Magheramorne Quarry, (pictured) NI Environment Minister Sammy Wilson said: "This is an imaginative and unique opportunity for Northern Ireland that will reuse what has become a redundant quarry and replace it with a major tourist attraction.
"With strategic rail and road transport links readily available due to its close proximity to Larne, one of the gateways to Northern Ireland, this will provide a boost for the tourism industry across the province.

Source 4NI.co.uk

The Beast of Ballyhoura Adventure Weekend

24 June 2009
This event takes place over the August Bank Holiday Weekend, Jul 31st–Aug 3rd 2009. Now in its third year this is an excellent sport tourism event with a range of options for novices and the more experienced adventure racers.

Source Ballyhourabeast Blog

Irish Heritage Council launches new website

23 June 2009
The website has extensive information on all areas of our national heritage including Archaeology, Architecture, Education, Museum and Archive, Inland Waterways, Marine, Recreation, Wildlife, Landscape, Irish Walled Towns, County Heritage Services and Planning.

The heritage landscape has altered significantly since the Heritage Council was established 14 years ago.The newly designed website is a reflection of this changing landscape. It is designed to provide the wider public and people across the education, planning and policy spectrum with easily accessible information on all areas of the heritage sector. A number of new features have also been added to the website, including the ability to search for information by your geographic area (county) and sectoral interest.

Source Irish Heritage Council

Cost of hotel rooms plummets

Date
29/01/2009

The average cost of a double room in an Irish hotel has fallen by almost a third since June, according to new figures published today.

The Hospitality Ireland Hotel Tracker Index (HTI), which measures the average room rate of Ireland’s hotels, reveals that the cost of a double room now stands at €107.70, compared to €153.19 last June.
The average cost of a double room dropped by 5.6 per cent from December to January, and by a further 8.2 per cent this month.

Hotels in the four-star market continue to discount most extensively, with €18.56 being taken off the average price of a room between December and January.


Cost of hotel rooms plummets - The Irish Times

December hotels performance hit by stay at home families

Date
27/1/2009

Cost conscious families stayed put over Christmas rather than taking festive hotel breaks, a new study shows.

Room rate, occupancy and rooms yield all fell for most in December, according to preliminary monthly figures from PKF Hotel Consultancy Services.

Room rate in London dropped from £139.33 in 2007 to £138.03 – a fall of 0.9% – while occupancy declined by 1.2%. Overall, this meant a 2.1% decline in rooms yield from £102.07 in 2007 to £99.89 in 2008.

December hotels performance hit by stay at home families - Travel Mole

Economic downturn set to fuel outdoor holidays in Britain

Date
20/1/2009

New research published by the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) has revealed that almost half of the British population is now more likely to book an outdoor break during 2009 due to the economic downturn.

In a survey conducted at the start of January, 49 per cent of adults stated that the credit crunch has made them more inclined to go on an outdoor-based break in Britain, rather than head abroad. The continuing weak state of the pound against the euro and dollar is also convincing more consumers to stay in this country.

Economic downturn set to fuel outdoor holidays in Britain - Sports Insight Magazine

Tourism Earnings Dip in Difficult Season

Date
07/01/2009

Consumer confidence, credit and cost control key to 2009 performance.

Industry braced for a challenging year ahead.
Irish tourism revenues declined marginally in 2008 to €6.3 billion (down 2%) as a consequence of the first decline in overseas visitor numbers (down 3%) in seven years and no growth in domestic expenditure for the first time in five years.

Tourism Earnings Dip in Difficult Season - Failte Ireland


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