Goldsmith Festival committee members pictured alongside guest speakers at the opening night in Abbeyshrule Picture: Claire McCormack Post-Covid tourism presents “significant and sustainable” opportunities for the Hidden Heartlands counties of Longford and Westmeath, the Oliver Goldsmith Festival of 2022 has heard. From the midland’s record-breaking Center Parcs Longford Forest resort, the alluring potential of its raised bogs, its historic canals, lakes and waterways, vast agricultural lands, hospitable people, and rich literary roots, well-known travel journalist Eoghan Corry has forecast “an exciting future” for tourism in the region. However, the keynote speaker warned that “pulling it all together” under one brand beyond the current ‘Yours to Uncover’ mantra will be vital to the area’s international visitor success. Reflecting on the most recent data (2018) regarding the dispersal of international tourists to Ireland at the festival’s well-attended opening night at The Rustic Inn, Abbeyshrule, Mr Corry said: “The Wild Atlantic Way gets 37.3pc of international visitors to Ireland, Dublin gets 35.1pc, The Ancient East gets 14pc, the six counties of Northern Ireland get around gets 11pc, and the Hidden Heartlands get 2.5pc – we have one brand that gets 37.3pc, and one brand that gets 2.5pc. “Now if you’re in the business of getting international tourists, and you’ve got a 2.5pc market share, you’ve got to say there is something leaning on us here which is more than just our product. “If you were to go right across Europe it’s very hard to find a disparity like that, Spain would have 17 provinces and one of the provinces gets 2pc of international tourists, so 2.5pc is way off and that bears out. “Overall, the numbers are amazing, we get more international tourists [to Ireland] than Cyprus does, and yet under our nose we have this misshapen tourism model which we haven’t rectified. “If this happened in any other industry where one of your five major regions was
PICTURES | Goldsmith Festival hears that Longford must seize opportunity post-Covid tourism presents
Goldsmith Children's Poetry Competition winners Rian Halse (1st prize) from Forgney NS and John Lane (2nd prize) from Tubberclair NS are pictured with poets Vona Groarke and Mary Melvin Geoghegan and committee member Ursula McGoey in Pallas Picture: Claire McCormack
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Attendees pictured at the Sunday Miscellany event in Goldsmith Library, Ballymahon Picture: Claire McCormack
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Sunday Miscellany speakers Matt Farrell, Fiona Egan, Adrian Elliott and Irena Cvetkovic pictured with festival president Seamus Mc Cormack in the Goldsmith Room at Ballymahon Library Picture: Claire McCormack
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The Innyside Singers perform at the opening night of Goldsmith Festival 2022 in The Rustic Inn Picture: Claire McCormack
![Goldsmith Festival committee members pictured alongside guest speakers at the opening night in Abbeyshrule Picture: Claire McCormack Post-Covid tourism presents “significant and sustainable” opportunities for the Hidden Heartlands counties of Longford and Westmeath, the Oliver Goldsmith Festival of 2022 has heard. From the midland’s record-breaking Center Parcs Longford Forest resort, the alluring potential of its raised bogs, its historic canals, lakes and waterways, vast agricultural lands, hospitable people, and rich literary roots, well-known travel journalist Eoghan Corry has forecast “an exciting future” for tourism in the region. However, the keynote speaker warned that “pulling it all together” under one brand beyond the current ‘Yours to Uncover’ mantra will be vital to the area’s international visitor success. Reflecting on the most recent data (2018) regarding the dispersal of international tourists to Ireland at the festival’s well-attended opening night at The Rustic Inn, Abbeyshrule, Mr Corry said: “The Wild Atlantic Way gets 37.3pc of international visitors to Ireland, Dublin gets 35.1pc, The Ancient East gets 14pc, the six counties of Northern Ireland get around gets 11pc, and the Hidden Heartlands get 2.5pc – we have one brand that gets 37.3pc, and one brand that gets 2.5pc. “Now if you’re in the business of getting international tourists, and you’ve got a 2.5pc market share, you’ve got to say there is something leaning on us here which is more than just our product. “If you were to go right across Europe it’s very hard to find a disparity like that, Spain would have 17 provinces and one of the provinces gets 2pc of international tourists, so 2.5pc is way off and that bears out. “Overall, the numbers are amazing, we get more international tourists [to Ireland] than Cyprus does, and yet under our nose we have this misshapen tourism model which we haven’t rectified. “If this happened in any other industry where one of your five major regions was](https://www.connachttribune.ie/jpim-static/image/2026/04/27/08/iconic-upload-2022_06_09-ILOL-10-06-22_Goldsmith_Extra_01_22111714-1654790329857.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=70&enable=upscale)
