MAYO’S tourist industry is set to receive a major boost with the development of a new west coast tourism route, the Wild Atlantic Way.

Funding of €2 million for phase one of the project, which will be developed in Connemara, was announced last week.

Minister of State with responsibility for tourism, Michael Ring, has confirmed routes for the Mayo leg are currently being examined.

The Wild Atlantic Way is set to be Ireland’s first long-distance driving route for tourists, featuring a 1,400km driving route from Donegal through to west Cork.

It aims to rival similar projects in Australia and South Africa, and with an international marketing drive it will draw more tourists to the west by linking destinations and attractions under a single theme.

Galway is the start of the project and it will now also move into Mayo, Minister Ring confirmed, with a working group including Mayo County Council, Fáilte Ireland, GMIT and Údarás na Gaeltachta actively looking at possible routes in the county.

Said Minister Ring: “The Wild Atlantic Way will open up the whole of the west coast to visitors. It will be a way to entice visitors off the beaten track and help them to discover new areas of the west coast.”

Connemara was chosen for the pilot phase because of its current popularity as a destination for self-drive visitors, particularly from France and Germany, and because it lies midway along the route.