CLAREโ€™S premier tourist attraction โ€œis no longer family friendlyโ€.

A hike in admission fees to the Cliffs of Moher was slammed by Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) this week. The Miltown Malbay native travelled to the 14km seacliffs with his grandson recently and admitted that he was far from pleased with the experience. โ€œFor the two of us in the car it cost โ‚ฌ24. It is a rip off and not what Iโ€™d consider family friendlyโ€.

With 1.6m visitors in 2019, the Cliffs was Irelandโ€™s most visited natural attraction. Cllr Flynn was annoyed with the current approach, โ€œI grew up in West Clare, my wife comes from just over the hill by the Cliffs, it was a regular haunt for us as young people. It has been overly commercialised, it is no longer family friendlyโ€.

Acknowledging that Clare County Council were responsible for the tourist attraction, the Shannon representative said, โ€œit needs sensitive management and to be more family friendlyโ€. Admission fees as per Cllr Flynnโ€™s remarks have doubled with the entrance fee costing โ‚ฌ6 in 2015. Online bookings for the Cliffs vary are billed at โ‚ฌ7 for adults, senior citizens and students with family passes from โ‚ฌ14.

In 2019, the Cliffs of Moher Experience site employed 170 people, 45 percent of which were full-time. This included direct employment of 75 staff (44 permanent and 31 seasonal) at an estimated total annual employment cost of โ‚ฌ5m. According to the Council, 90 percent of the staff are located within a 20 mile radius of the Cliffs.

Flynnโ€™s comments came following a proposal from Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG), Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) and Cllr Liam Grant (GP) for the Council โ€œto implement its commitment to the development of a sustainable host community pillar within the Cliffs of Moher 2040 Strategyโ€. They asked for traffic management to be addressed, to enhance the long-term direct and indirect employment and benefits of tourism in the area.

Director of Rural Development, Leonard Cleary noted that councillors recently visited the Cliffs of Moher for a presentation on the strategy and attended a workshop. He expressed confidence that all of the existing economic benefits of the Cliffs would be โ€œsignificantly increasedโ€ as the strategy is developed.

He referenced 2019 figures which showed the Cliffs generated an estimated overall income of โ‚ฌ18m from visitor spend in the local economy. โ€œFรกilte Ireland research suggests that overseas holidaymakers on average spend โ‚ฌ96 per day and domestic overnight visitors spend โ‚ฌ74 per day. Applied to visitors to the Cliffs of Moher Experience this would generate an estimated total economic impact of โ‚ฌ141m. While it’s acknowledged there is economic leakage outside of County Clare, there is still a considerable level of indirect to the county”.

Speaking on Monday, Cllr Garrihy detailed that the โ€œvast majorityโ€ of submissions to the Cliffs Strategy to-date was not reflective of the local community. He commended the extensive process of engagement followed by the Council but stressed the opportunity that was knocking on their door. โ€œWeโ€™re quite unique, we can use natural attractions. The challenge for us is that our beautiful attractions not located in the centre of our towns and villages, theyโ€™re on the Wild Atlantic Wayโ€.

A traffic management plan is โ€œbadly needed,โ€ Cllr Killeen flagged. He emphasised that the Burren was โ€œnot a playground, it is a living area where people, work, live and carry out their choresโ€. He noted the Cliffs was the jewel in the crown of the Wild Atlantic Way but was causing bottlenecks in the locality.

โ€œIt could be viewed as a local issues to North Clare but ultimately, the Cliffs of Moher is an economic driver for the whole county,โ€ Cllr Shane Talty (FF) stated.

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