Minister for Tourism Séamus Brennan has announced grants worth €6.1 million for 50 projects including a number of walking and cycling routes.
The successful projects were approved by the Fáilte Ireland Authority which assessed proposals from local authorities and other development bodies.
The walking and cycling grants are worth just over €2.5 million, some 20 per cent of which will go towards national coastal walks.
A further €2.5 million has been provided for environment and visitor management works, including signposting, and up to €1 million for improvement and management work at blue-flag beaches.
The walking and cycling funds include a grant of just under €50,000 towards a coastal walk at Inishowen in Co Donegal as well as up to €274,000 for coastal walks at Portmarnock and Portrane in Co Dublin.
Bray Town Council successfully applied for a grant of up to €77,000 for improvements on the Bray-Greystones cliff walk, while in Co Cavan up to €203,572 will be provided for the development of six loop walks.
A feature of the grant scheme is the provision of funding - in each case a maximum of 75 per cent of the cost - for the development of "hub cycle routes".
Mullingar, Co Westmeath, qualifies for a grant of up to €94,500 "for the provision of the infrastructure necessary to establish Mullingar as a cycling hub town".
Other routes include Achill island in Co Mayo, which will get a maximum of €33,000 for the development of 65km of cycle routes; and Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, qualifies for up to €61,000 for cycle route development.
Mr Brennan said seven million tourists visited Ireland last year, generating €6 billion for an industry that employs 250,000.
"If we are to continue to grow this sector then we must avoid any tendency to take tourism for granted and instead we must commit to constantly refreshing, upgrading and expanding tourism facilities to meet the ever-changing requirements of tourists.
The grants are part of the tourism section of the National Development Plan, "Transforming Ireland", and €25 million is included for such projects.
The NDP total tourism provision is €800 million over seven years. Full details are at www.dast.gov.ie
