*Passengers take off on The Burren and Cliffs Explorer. Photograph: Eamon Ward.
70,000 passengers on the Burren and Cliffs Explorer over a four month period would deem the free shuttle bus service a success according to the Director of the Cliffs of Moher Experience.
Officially launched on Thursday, the free shuttle bus connects towns and villages across North-West Clare with key tourism sites such as the Cliffs of Moher Experience.
Running as a pilot from the beginning of May until August 30th, the Explorer gives passengers free travel and free entry to leading tourism sites in the county.
Director of the Cliffs of Moher Experience, Geraldine O’Rourke (neé Enright) said the link the shuttle bus service provides with towns and villages is creating a wider tourism experience. “The launch of the Burren and Cliffs Explorer is bringing the experience out to the communities where visitors can board the bus in Miltown Malbay, Kilfenora or Ballyvaughan and make their way to the key attractions in North and West Clare like the Cliffs of Moher Experience and the Burren National Park, we’re hoping people will engage with the service for the season, it is free and the Cliffs of Moher Experience is free for the pilot period from the 1st of May to the 30th of August with an option to extend to September if it is successful”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Geraldine detailed that 17,500 passengers per month would be a successful return for the pilot service. “The usage would deem it a success, we have put the systems on board each of the coaches to monitor and measure the usage by way of a ticketing system so people can book the ticket in advance which tells us when and where people will use it but people can also board the buses in any towns or villages without a ticket and they will be ticketed once they get on board, that will inform the usage but the service itself will be marketed throughout the season, we’re expecting it will generate a good number of visitors. If we had 70,000 usage over the season I would deem it a success”.
She continued, “The opportunity and potential is huge for the towns and villages, these are key mapped locations and start points for these buses, it is bringing footfall into these areas where people will deliver economically for these towns and villages be it cafes, restaurants, shops or other visitor attractions and experiences and it will deliver more business to these towns that badly need it”.
With 1.5m annual visitors to the Cliffs of Moher, the economic spin-off from the most visited outdoor attraction in the country is generally not felt by surrounding towns and villages in North Clare. According to Geraldine, the shortage of accommodation in the locality is a barrier to sharing the success of the Cliffs. “The Cliffs of Moher is a key iconic site in the country, you have people waking up in all parts of Ireland coming to the Cliffs of Moher on a given day, do all of those stop at each town and village, unlikely, I do think the towns and villages are already benefitting where there are accommodation centres, B&Bs, people want to stay locally but right now we don’t have enough accommodation for people to stay, we expect those staying in the locality will engage with the services as a value-add or customer experience for hotels and guesthouses to offer a free shuttle service from outside your door is a huge opportunity for them and overall lift the experience of the visitor that actually stays locally. For those travelling in from further, we do have car parking hubs in Lisdoonvarna and Miltown Malbay, they are serviced hubs with toilet facilities, for people coming in the peak of the season we would be asking them to stop by the towns and villages and enage with the service, they can leave their car behind and get to the Cliffs or another town and village and return their car again”.
This accommodation shortage has not impacted on visitor numbers to the Cliffs of Moher, she said but it has affected the potential local economic benefit. “When the accommodation is not in Clare, people are staying in other locations, that can be anywhere in the country, people will wake up in the Midlands and come to the Cliffs of Moher Experience. The Cliffs of Moher is on the top of the list for people to come and visit, maybe other locations will lose out because of the travel time it takes to get to this location and to travel back, they don’t always have time to stop or soak in the wider Cliffs of Moher and Burren UNESCO Geopark or what Co Clare has to offer, the accommodation is still an ongoing challenge but it hasn’t had an impact on the Cliffs of Moher but it has had an impact on other smaller attractions and experiences and the towns and villages”.
