Offaly Brand Aims to Create 700 New Jobs By 2020

28th September 2015

Offaly has rebranded itself as 'Ireland's hidden Gem' to boost tourism and create hundreds of new jobs in the county.

The new Offaly tourism brand has been developed was launched at Lough Boora yesterday by Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD. 

The new tourism campaign comes as part of a €100,000 investment by Offaly County Council in an  Offaly Tourism Group which aims to double visitor numbers and create 700 new jobs by 2020.

“Offaly has a number of distinct advantages, not least in terms of the richness of the natural assets and cultural heritage in the area, but also, its central location in the heart of Ireland and the easy access from several gateway points," Minister Ring said.

The marketing campaign for the county also includes a revamped website, visitoffaly.ie, which is set to launch shortly.

Despite tourism attractions like Clonmacnoise, Birr Castle, Lough Boora Discovery Park, Tullamore DEW Visitors Centre and the Slieve Blooms, Offaly currently attracts just 37,000 visitors a year.

By 2020, the Offaly Tourism Group hopes realise the potential of the county's attractions and to grow that number to 75,000 and increase tourism revenue to €8 million.

"By getting behind this Tourism Brand we can create new jobs and boost the local economy and make sure that Offaly gets its fair share of the tourism pie,” said Eamonn Dooely, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council.

At the launch, Minister Ring highlighted the role Local Authorities have in supporting tourism development, and commended Offaly County Council, the Local Community Development Committee and Offaly Tourism Group for their initiative.

He urged close collaboration with Fáilte Ireland and other partners to "fully integrate" Offaly's tourism product with the Ireland’s Ancient East initiative.