Developing Tourism in Kildare

Developing Tourism in

Kildare

Tourism

Jobs & Revenue * Tourism delivered

€10bn

in expenditure between the overseas and domestic markets

Tourism generates

€2.9bn in exchequer revenue – the equivalent of

€1,600

*Based on 2023 CSO figures

It is estimated that tourism industries account for

227,000 jobs nationwide

per household

Sallins Canal, Grand Canal Greenway

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.

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

Kildare

Regional Tourism Strategy for Ireland’s Ancient East Kildare 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 (DEDPs) 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.

Kildare is being developed under the Thoroughbred Country Destination Experience Development Plan. The TCDEDP was launched in November 2021.

Under this DEDP, a new strategy is currently in development for leveraging festivals and events across the county. The action based strategy will focus on how the destination can better leverage opportunities around events such as the Derby Festival and Punchestown to extend visitor stays locally.

Investment in

Kildare

EU Just Transition Fund As Ireland moves towards a low-carbon economy, Fáilte Ireland is delivering a Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme for Ireland’s Midlands* 2023-2026 as part of the EU Just Transition Fund programme, which is cofunded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. Through this scheme, we are investing in the sustainable development of tourism in the Midlands with the aim of diversifying the regional economy by creating jobs, supporting habitats and biodiversity and sustaining communities. The Regenerative Tourism & Placemaking Scheme for Ireland’s Midlands 20232026 is currently being delivered through a series of funding calls.

Further information is available: https://www.failteireland.ie/JustTransition

€68m EU Just Transition Fund

*Laois, Westmeath, Offaly, Longford, Roscommon and parts of Galway (Ballinasloe), Tipperary (Carrick-on-Suir, Thurles) and Kildare (Athy, Clane – Maynooth). Note: Fáilte Ireland has no responsibility in territorial selection or designation.

Festivals and Events 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

Figures correct at time of production (December 2024). All project costs and funding subject to change.

Fáilte Ireland Initiatives for

Kildare

Destination Towns – Kildare

destination selling modules. n A new Thoroughbred Storytelling Toolkit Fáilte Ireland’s Destination Towns scheme is completed for industry with maps, marketing designed to boost the attractiveness and tourism assets, imagery and itineraries. appeal of towns nationwide, and is funded under the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Strategy. n New destination sales plan in development Fáilte Ireland allocated €390,000 in funding to and an international sales programme for Kildare County Council to develop the Market hotel and attractions in 2026.

Square, Kildare under this scheme. n Partnering with thoroughbred country CLG to promote and sell new thoroughbred Destination Kildare Initiatives experiences.

Working with Stakeholders Fáilte Ireland’s local team meet regularly with Royal Canal Greenway Activation Kildare County Council and Into Kildare offering Programme advice and expertise on tourism projects and The Royal Canal Greenway, which runs along sharing our latest research and insights. Projects with the Old Rail Trail Greenway and the National include: Famine Way, offers an opportunity for tourism n commercial supports in advance of opening businesses along these the routes to optimise the new Shackleton Museum, their tourism potential and improve the visitor experience and commercial performance in the n preparation of tourism feasibility study for St. area. Fáilte Ireland is working with our strategic Brigid’s Cathedral, and n partnering with Into Kildare on a new Curragh partners in Waterways Ireland and 5 Local Authorities in Kildare, Longford, Westmeath, Audio Trail project in 2025.

Roscommon, and Meath to support industry and communities to develop these amenities.

Thoroughbred Country - Growing

Sales Through Destination Development Programme n

20 hotels and attractions signed up and currently engaged in a 2-year long DEDP activation programme which includes bespoke capability development and

Both the KPMG Women’s Irish Open 2025 (Carton House, Fairmount) and the AMGEN Irish Open 2025 (The K Club, Co Kildare) takes place in 2025 and will showcase Kildare and Ireland’s Ancient East on a global level.

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.

(2021 – 2026)

Powering Online Excellence

E00157725 Digital that Delivers Team - Table stand (CL).indd 1

Irish Open 2025

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.

17/11/2022 14:52

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.