*A 139 page document has been prepared.
A new 2040 masterplan for the re-development of the Cliffs of Moher visitor attraction will deliver a projected €36m in annual revenues for the tourist operation.
The Cliffs of Moher is the country’s most popular natural tourist attraction and 1.1m patrons visited the site last year.
The re-development is to deliver a new ‘world class’ visitor attraction and the implementation of the 2040 strategy “will deliver a more profitable and more robust operation for the future”.
That is according to a newly published preliminary draft 2040 Cliffs of Moher Strategy which is hard-hitting on the shortcomings of current visitor facilities and risky visitor behaviour seeking ‘Instagramworthy’ photo opportunities along the unstable cliff edge.
According to the 139 page document, the implementation of the 2040 strategy “is projected to generate an overall income of €36m from visitor spend and employ more than 300 people”.
The authors state that the new strategy will result in “rather than just a photo-stop, the core experience for every visitor will be a paced emotional journey that maximises the exhilaration of the final cliff view”.
The masterplan includes the development of a new ‘gateway’ building, the conversion of the existing visitor centre into an interpretative hub, a new footbridge over the nearly regional route and a new cliff edge walk that includes a variety of new engineered viewing platforms will bring visitors at some points over the cliffs edge where views are particularly dramatic.
The authors state that “the core concept for the future development of the Cliffs of Moher is to create a wilder, back to nature experience with a high-quality arrival to commence the visitor journey”.
The report states that the total expenditure of visitors to the Cliffs of Moher is projected to be over €300m per annum in the wider economy and will support over 8,000 tourism jobs.
The authors state that the implementation of the strategy “will result in significantly increased economic benefits at site, local, regional and national level”.
The report states that in 2019, the Clare County Council owned visitor attraction generated €18m in estimated revenues and estimated operating profits of €9.7m.
Admission income makes up 90pc of the current Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience income.
The preliminary draft states that “overall, the operational surplus from the Cliffs of Moher site is projected to increase by more than double”.
The strategy is silent on the scale of admission price income required to part fund the capital cost of the strategy, stating only that “admission charges for the Cliffs of Moher will change in line with the development of the new facilities and to reflect the “world-class” status of the new and expanded visitor offer”.
The anticipated hike in prices comes against the background of what the report calls as “high levels of dissatisfaction from a small minority of visitors on TripAdvisor relating primarily to a feeling that they are paying for parking at a natural heritage site that should be free to access”.
The report states, “This is compounded by a sense of resentment that visitors walking along the public footpaths on either side of the visitor experience are accessing the same site for free. As visitors presume that tickets are for parking rather than for access to visitor facilities, there is further dissatisfaction that entry fees are per person rather per car, leading to negative perceptions of value for money.”
The plan seeks to sharply increase revenue and profits while at the same time capping visitor numbers at peak periods at 2019 levels.
The strategy doesn’t put a price tag on the redevelopment and only states it will result “in major capital investment on the site”.
The strategy states that the total capital cost “will depend on the final scope of works, the scheme design and phasing”.
The blueprint adds that the long-term vision for the Cliffs of Moher “will create outstanding visitor experiences, implement sustainable transport measures and create a network of new access links through integrated greenways”.
The strategy states that these initiatives will encourage visitors to disperse across the area bringing enhanced social and economic benefits for local communities.
The authors also state that a new environmental management approach, for an expanded Cliffs of Moher site, will create a truly “wild” experience in a more natural and dramatic landscape.
Director of the Cliffs of Moher Experience, Geraldine Enright said: “This strategy presents an exciting opportunity to reimagine and reshape the visitor experience and wider site at the Cliffs of Moher and to further enhance this world-class attraction for the benefit of visitors and the wider community in County Clare.”
Ms Enright said the strategy is driven by the need to protect the environment, cap the visitor numbers and strike a balance between tourism within the community.
On the need for new facilities, the size and capacity of the existing visitor centre facilities “are not equipped to deal with the volume of visitors at peak time, which leads to long queues and crowded spaces that are difficult to navigate”.
The report also states that the centre’s “catering facilities are consistently the worst rated element of the visitor attraction, mainly due to long queues, poor signage and limited menu choice”.
The report also states that the existing paths beyond the visitor experience “are a major safety hazard due to their proximity to the unstable cliff-edge and unpredictable weather conditions”.
The report states that “visitors rarely heed the warnings in situ and seek to get as close to the edge as possible to take instagramworthy photographs”.
The report states that the capital cost of the strategy will encompass direct investment from Clare County Council, including reinvestment from the projected annual operational surplus from the Cliffs of Moher Experience, and commercial loans.
The report states the project will also seek substantial grant aid from a range of sources including Fáilte Ireland, European and National Programmes and specialist enterprise, tourism, environmental and development bodies.
The Council is to stage a public information meeting on the draft 2040 Strategy at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon on Wednesday, September 20th from 6.30pm.
