Westport takes top tourism crown

Westport was today crowned the 2014 National Large Tourism Town, with Kinsale taking home the title of Small Tourism Town. The Mayo hotspot and Cork fishing village were chosen from a shortlist of 10 top tourism towns.

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring congratulated Westport on winning the National Large Tourism Town title, saying it was ‘a great achievement and worthy recognition for the contribution they make to tourism in Ireland’. 

He stated: “These awards are all about honouring towns that bring all local interests together to put tourism at the centre of what they do. This is particularly evident with both winning towns clearly embracing tourism and seizing the opportunities arising.”

The Tourism Towns Award was designed by Fáilte Ireland to promote those Irish towns and villages which are working hardest to enhance their appeal to tourists visiting their local area.

A panel of independent assessors, as well as a team of ‘secret shoppers’, visited each town to measure their tourism performance and the level of welcome to visitors.