A €15 million funding scheme which aims to promote outdoor adventure activities was launched by the government on Friday.
The increased funding for the Outdoor Recreation and Infrastructure Scheme should provide a “major boost” to rural tourism, according to the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys.
City and county councils, state bodies and local development agencies can apply to the fund to develop activities on mountains, lakes, beaches, bogs, forest walks and greenways.
Land-based projects covered under the funding include hiking, mountaineering, equestrian trails, cycling and rock climbing.
Eligible water and air based projects include kayaking, swimming, tidal pools, surfing, paragliding and hang-gliding.
Small scale projects can receive €30,000, medium-sized projects will be eligible for €200,000 and €500,000 is available for larger projects.
Funding for the scheme was increased under this year’s budget. The scheme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development in partnership with Fáilte Ireland.
“I am delighted to announce the launch of the 2022 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme,” said Minister Humphreys. “To date, the Scheme has provided funding of over €87 million for more than 1,200 projects nationwide.”
The minister said that during the pandemic, outdoor pursuits and activities became more important than ever. “I’m urging applicants to be bold and ambitious with their proposals – so that we can continue to further develop adventure tourism to the benefit of our citizens,” she said.
Increasing the number of outdoor adventure activities available to domestic and international tourists will play an important role in tourism recovery after the pandemic, according to the Minister for Tourism, Catherine Martin.
“The range of projects funded throughout Ireland under this scheme to date are excellent and support Ireland’s ambition to be a renowned year round destination for activity tourism,” she said.
Full details are available here.