After a record year, Ireland has launched two new tourism routes for visitors, reports Ireland's Independent.
"Two new touring routes, branching off the Wild Atlantic Way, were unveiled by Junior Tourism Minister Patrick O'Donovan yesterday as another record year for Irish tourism was reported," writes Alan O'Keefe.
The two new drives are just the first in a series of routes that are planned and that will branch off of the very successful Wild Atlantic Way.
Failte Ireland's director of strategic development Orla Carroll tells the Independent: "We are working closely with both Clare and Limerick local authorities and will be developing appropriate navigation aids and viewing points."
The first of the routes, Burren Drive, is in an established tourism area that is plagued by congestion. Carroll believes that the development of the route would be a way to alleviate overcrowding and give visitors new experiences.
The other route is the Shannon Estuary.
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The Shannon Estuary Drive provided a significant opportunity for Limerick and Ennis, as gateway towns to the Wild Atlantic Way, and would open up the region's inland hinterland, Carroll tells the Independent.
According to Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons, 2016 was the country's best year ever for tourism.
"Some 10.5 million people have visited the island of Ireland so far this year, with 8.3 million people visiting the Republic in the first 10 months. Tourists spent €3.6bn in the first nine months of this year," Gibbons reported.
For more on Ireland's new routes, read on here.
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