Developing Tourism in Louth
Tourism Jobs & Revenue *
Tourism delivered €10bn in expenditure between the overseas and domestic markets
*Based on 2023 CSO figures
Tourism generates €2.9bn in exchequer revenue – the equivalent of €1,600 per household
It is estimated that tourism industries account for 227,000 jobs nationwide
Domestic Marketing
At Fáilte Ireland, our marketing aims to inspire domestic tourism by encouraging short breaks in Ireland, with a goal to boost year-round tourism revenue spread across the country. Our Keep Discovering domestic campaign is the cornerstone of our consumer marketing strategy, promoting regions to visitors from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland through various high reach channels including TV, video-on-demand, digital, media partnerships and an extensive PR and Influencer plan.
Additionally, our sponsorship of RTÉ Weather reaches 1.6 million people on average 8 times per week, providing a great platform to deliver timely, relevant and compelling messages to encourage viewers to Keep Discovering Ireland all year round.
King John’s Castle_Carlingford
Driving Climate Action for Tourism Businesses
Tackling climate change is one of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing tourism businesses today. Fáilte Ireland’s Climate Action Programme is delivered by Fáilte Ireland and a team of sustainability advisors who will mentor and guide businesses over a three-year period providing hands-on support and investment advice for tourism businesses aiming to become more sustainable and will help drive real change in businesses.
In line with government targets, the Programme will focus on reducing carbon emissions and saving money, along with broader areas like energy and waste management, water consumption, renewables, and biodiversity. More information on the Climate Action Programme can be found at https://supports.failteireland.ie/climate-action/
Accessible and Inclusive Tourism
Fáilte Ireland’s ambition is to support all tourism businesses improve their inclusive offerings and ensure that destinations, products, and services are accessible to all. Our 2025 plans focus on raising awareness of accessibility and inclusion, building capacity, and offering more choices for all.
We embrace the principle of ‘nothing about us without us’ to make Ireland a leading accessible and inclusive destination. Together, we can create welcoming tourism experiences that enhance our communities as great places to visit and live.
For more information please visit: https://www.failteireland.ie/ Development-menu-item/Accessible-and-Inclusive-Tourism.aspx
Building excellent employment
Since Fáilte Ireland launched its Employer Excellence Programme in 2022, 30,000 employees and 300 businesses across the tourism sector have benefited from the programme. This three-year programme enhances retention, reward recognition, and communication. Additionally, the programme offers benefits such as top-tier people management training, access to an employee survey provider, expert HR advice, and the opportunity to be acknowledged as an Excellent Employer at our annual awards.
To support businesses to upskill new and existing employees, Fáilte Ireland launched learniFI, an online learning platform to drive professional development with over 250 tailored courses and dynamic live learning sessions across key business disciplines including HR, Finance and Climate Action. To help build the future pipeline of talent, the Fáilte Ireland Work Experience Programme connects Transition Year students with local tourism businesses, providing work experience and helping build a future talent pipeline. For more information, visit www.failteireland.ie/tourismcareers
Development in Louth
Regional Tourism Strategy for Ireland’s Ancient East
Louth is included in Fáilte Ireland’s Ireland’s Ancient East Regional Tourism Development Strategy 2023 – 2027. This roadmap for the tourism industry and all stakeholders involved in tourism in the region will help navigate the current challenges and steer a course towards a sustainable recovery and continued success. The plan sets out a strategic approach to unlocking the commercial potential of Ireland’s Ancient East. It will ensure focus on tourism development is sustainable and regenerative and that the benefits accrue to local communities and to nature.
Destination and Experience Development Plans
Destination and Experience Development Plans (DEDP) are 5-year sustainable tourism development plans for a destination, which bring public and private sector organisations together to prioritise tourism development projects and maximise their chance for success.
Louth is being developed under the Ancient Destination Experience Development Plan and is focused on the area known as the Boyne Valley extending across Counties Meath and South Louth.
Investment in Louth
Urban Animation Scheme
Five landmark buildings and structures in Drogheda’s historic streetscape will be brought to life to tell the myths and legends associated with the River Boyne through lighting installations and street art: Barlow House, St. Peter’s Church, Millmount, St. Laurence’s Gate, Scotch Hall and The Boyne Viaduct.
Three additional projections to be developed that will allow for a change of content over the next number of years. One of the additional projections is a water screen projection on St. Dominic’s Bridge to transform the bridge into a canvas of liquid light where captivating images are projected into a shimmering curtain of water.
Festivals and Events
Fáilte Ireland awarded Louth County Council
€1,136,445 under this scheme.
Festivals and events are a vital component of the visitor experience for local, domestic and international audience. Fáilte Ireland has identified tourism focused festivals and events as a key driver for tourism growth, particularly in the off-season. Festivals and participative events serve to increase both awareness of and dwell time in the destination, while also adding variety and diversity to the area. Investment in and business development support for festivals is helping to drive growth in the regions and draw both domestic and overseas visitors to different parts of the country in the off-peak season.
Fáilte Ireland provides funding for local and community festivals through its ‘Regional Festivals Programme’, which has been managed by Local Authorities since 2018. In addition to this Fáilte Ireland’s own Strategic Festivals Fund supports over 40 Festivals and Participative Events with a tourism focus.
Fáilte Ireland’s Champions Programme
Fáilte Ireland’s Champions Programme is designed to help tourism businesses enhance their team’s customer service skills and build local product knowledge. The programme is tailored to each of our regional experience brands (Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Wild Atlantic Way and Dublin) combining our successful Local Experts and Service Excellence programmes, with specialised training in accessible tourism. Frontline tourism professionals and anyone who engages with visitors, are invited to register for one of our free Champions Programme workshops. For more info on upcoming workshops see https://www.failteireland.ie/Product-development/champions-programme.aspx
Fáilte Ireland Initiatives for Louth
Destination Towns - Drogheda
Fáilte Ireland’s Destination Towns Scheme is designed to boost the attractiveness and tourism appeal of towns nationwide, and is funded under the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Strategy. Fáilte Ireland allocated €500,000 in funding to Louth County Council to provide visitor signage, orientation and interpretation along the north/south, east/west old Town Wall axis in Drogheda.
Re-Imagined Boyne Valley Drive
The Review of the Boyne Valley Drive identified a project roadmap and action plan to achieve its objective of re-imagining the Boyne Valley Drive from a point to point journey between some of Irelands most important and compelling heritage sites, to a wider immersive visitor proposition that becomes a 5,000 year journey through time. Actions to date include the establishment of 5 Community Clusters, the creation of a Time-Line Toolkit and the delivery of a Digital Destination Orientation Project. Work is underway on the delivery of full specification and detailed designs of 11 Cluster and Destination Infrastructure Projects.
Drogheda - Boyne Valley Gateway Placemaking Study
A study and report has been commissioned as to how Drogheda can be developed as the Gateway to the Boyne Valley. Drawing on the town’s historic and heritage assets along with the River Boyne as a key tourism asset the study draws together all existing plans and ongoing projects to develop a comprehensive plan for the area.
Carlingford and Cooley Region
- Destination Orientation Development Plan
Carlingford Vision ‘31: Gateway to the Cooley Peninsula’ is a tourism vision focused on a series of actions to provide a framework for sustainable tourism development delivering long term economic, social and environmental benefits for the town and surrounding communities in the wider Cooley destination.
Táin Trail
A review of the Táin Trail in Co Louth which will re-optimise and transform it into an internationally iconic experiential route which possesses a myriad of experience layers, linking existing attractions on the trail with an extended focus on new and supporting experiences along the route, across counties Louth, Meath, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath & Roscommon.
The Digital that Delivers programme is a pioneering initiative designed to transform the digital capabilities of attractions, activity providers, strategically funded festivals, and tourismfocused golf courses. This two-year development programme aims to equip up to 720 businesses with essential digital tools, skills and strategies to improve their online presence. Created in response to research highlighting low adoption of digital technology in these sectors, the programme provides resources to activate and optimise booking systems, develop accessible websites, improve customer engagement, and boost sales. It supports Fáilte Ireland’s mission to attract more visitors to emerging regions and destinations.
By the end of 2026, the programme will have awarded, up to €18.4 million in investment grant-aid to businesses throughout Ireland. Fáilte Ireland predicts this investment will generate €408 million in additional economic activity over a 10-year period, supporting up to 11,000 sustainable jobs across Ireland.
Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism Development Authority and is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media