The Visitor Experience Development Plan

Our resources So what’s the Plan?

The Visitor Experience Development Plan sets out the overall approach to Destination Planning for the next five years.

It illustrates the unique attractions of Lough Derg and how best to develop visitor experiences across the area by providing:

✓ a steer for experience development based on geographically distinctive opportunities;

✓ insights into what visitors need and want;

✓ a framework to help cluster experiences;

✓ a collaborative approach to promoting the region; and

✓ useful ways to track progress.

The Plan, developed in collaboration with key stakeholders, shines a light on the work already underway to develop visitor experience, aligns it with the wider ambition for the Shannon region and identifies what needs to be done to meet the needs of current and future visitors.

How we achieved this

Our People and Businesses

Our towns, villages, lakes and landscape

Our target market

Who they are

✓ Connected families

✓ Great Escapers

✓ Culturally Curious

✓ Footloose Socialisers

What they want

✓ Authentic, accessible experiences

✓ Wellbeing and digital detox

✓ Varied and constructive activities

✓ Good food and accommodation

✓ Through Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, the Shannon Masterplan, County Development Plans and County Tourism Strategies.

✓ By harnessing tourism trends so we can deliver what people are looking for.

✓ By dovetailing with current investment projects.

Our ambition

Our aim is to make it easy for visitors to explore our historic towns and villages, our waterways and inland trails at their own pace on water, on foot and on two wheels. The Plan was created around the VICE model, which identifies sustainable tourism as the interaction between Visitors, the Industry that provides services to them, the Community and culture that hosts them and their collective impact on and response to the Environment where it all takes place.

We will develop Destination Lough Derg to ensure that the plan delivers:

Environment

…a distinctive and high quality visitor experience based around the principles of slow travel.

How we’ll do it Visitor Industry

…balanced and sustainable revenue and jobs growth with greater geographic and seasonal spread.

Our key commercial targets

Revenue from overseas visitors into the destination to

Domestic bed nights to the destination to

…the protection and enhancement of the environment of Lough Derg as the region’s fundamental tourism asset, in association with other key stakeholders.

Community

…benefits to local communities and contributes to a better place to live for everyone

Trending

It is important to be in a position to harness emerging trends

✓ Visitors are increasingly seeking authentic and personalised travel experiences

INCREASE

Occupancy Levels in the main hotels and accommodation providers particularly in the shoulder season

3% 3% 3%

Visitor numbers to the main attractions and activity providers in the destination to

INCREASE INCREASE

✓ They want to experience local life and come away with a well-rounded view of the area

✓ Travellers expect more information, decision making, interaction and personalisation

✓ They are looking for constructive activities that give them new skills and knowledge

✓ The concept of wellbeing runs through many of the activities offered with physical activity and mindfulness delivering stress relief

✓ The consumer desire for digital detox is growing but raises the challenge of wanting to go off grid and the requirement to document experiences.