East Donegal being left out of tourist drive claims councillor

East Donegal is off the map and being left behind in terms of promoting tourism in the county it has been claimed.

Cllr Patrick McGowan made the remark at last Monday's meeting of Donegal County Council in Lifford.

He said tourism-related businesses in the area were "totally frustrated" by the lack of promotion and that everything appeared to be geared towards the Wild Atlantic Way in the west.

He was challenged by Killybegs independent councillor Niamh Kennedy who said she was disappointed to note that East Donegal was the only part of the county not represented at the recent Holiday World show in Dublin.

"It's just a pity no one from there attended," she said.

Cllr McGowan did not accept her criticism.

"I'm a long time on the council and it's the first time I've heard a councillor giving out about a group or businesses at the other end of the county without knowing the full story."

He explained a tourism group for East Donegal was set up a few years ago.

"I said from the start we could not allow the council to come in, set something up then head for the hills and that's exactly what happened and it's been the case ever since."

He added there had been little or no progress either despite him and his colleagues asking for meetings and support.

"We don't have a tourist office. You bring all the tourists up to the edge of Donegal then say 'find your own way into the county'. Once you get to your destination whether it be Donegal Town, Letterkenny or elsewhere you get a tourist office but you are already there. Surely there should be a tourist office at the gateway to the county."

He claimed people in the tourist industry in east of the county were "totally frustrated" with the lack of support and staff.

"We are completely ignored by Tourism Ireland and Donegal Tourism. It is taking a handful of businesses struggling on their own to keep it going because the backup is not there."

He pointed out that the government and the council were putting huge sums of money into the Wild Atlantic Way. If some of that was put into the east of the county projects in places like Raphoe, Ballybofey or Lifford could be developed.

"The people in tourism are willing to go to meetings, attend workshops and seminars but they do need support. When you look at Donegal County Council's annual Service Delivery Plan and other books the east of the county is barely mentioned. Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt if there is even a photograph from east Donegal in it," he said.

Cllr Frank McBrearty Jnr said east Donegal should have a stand-alone tourism forum.

Director of economic development, emergency services and information systems, Garry Martin suggested the respective Strategic Policy Committees were perhaps the best way to deal with these concerns but pointed out the council worked through a county-wide tourism brand with their colleagues in Donegal Tourism and there was substantial funding made available for that.

They also worked closely with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to drive the Donegal brand.

"When you are marketing either nationally or internationally you need to drive a recognised brand and even within the context of an international tourism marketing initiative, the brand of Donegal is narrow and shallow so that's why sometimes we do it in the context of an Irish and indeed a North-West sell. I suppose any proposals around maximising a subsidiary county initiative need to be taken in that context as well. That's not to say there's any area of the county that's disregarded by the tourism authorities.

“What is sold is the brand that is actually available in each of those areas, the comparative strengths that are there and ourselves, Fáilte Ireland and Donegal Tourism will sell that and that would have been reflected at the Holiday World Show where we were represented last week," he said.