Visitor numbers collapse at top Mayo tourist attractions
VISITOR numbers at two of Mayo's top tourist attractions have collapsed.
To the end of November, just 51,211 people have visited Croagh Patrick this year - down from 109,821 in 2018. The Great Western Greenway has attracted 108,075 people - down from a high of 209,363 in 2019.
Councillors have blamed the loss of 1,000 beds from the hospitality sector for the decline.
And the drop in visitor numbers is impacting businesses, with 16 units closed in Westport and three more shutting their doors after Christmas, Councillor Christy Hyland revealed.
The figures were circulated at a meeting of Mayo County Council's tourism strategic policy committee.
They show growth at other visitor hotspots this year, including Downpatrick Head (63,158 - up from 43,169 in 2018) and Moorehall (37,568 - up from 27,286 last year), with Lough Lannagh (101,024) and the Turlough Greenway (60,213) remaining steady. The point was made that the latter ones are visited by many locals.
Councillor Paul McNamara from Achill described the drop in the figures visiting Croagh Patrick and the Great Western Greenway as 'very alarming', with figures down nearly half.
“How can we have visitors when we have no beds,” asked Councillor Hyland, with Westport down a thousand beds given over to accommodate refugees and asylum seekers.
“Sixteen business units are closed in Westport today and three more will be closing after Christmas.
"Our footfall is down due to the lack of tourists and there is no business support scheme,” he stated.
Councillor Hyland said they all agreed they had to support people fleeing war, etc., but there has been bad management of the situation, with businesses closing in tourism areas as there are no tourists due to there being no beds.
Where people arrive to a hotel, they should then be transferred out to other areas shortly after, he said. He knew loads of people who would take them in.
Councillor Peter Flynn pointed out that there are 6,000 extra people in the county. The vast majority of beds used are tourism beds and it isn’t sustainable.
There are, he stated, people seeing an opportunity to make fortunes on the back of others misfortunes.
Councillor Flynn also made the point that we are not bringing on new products to attract people to the county, with Mayo having become 'stale'.
There is a challenge, admitted director of services Joanne Grehan, but it is not within the direct gift of the council to make any decisions regarding commercial and private operators.
Perhaps we will have to start looking at being creative around accommodation.