Ireland: Cruise Ship business boosts North West Town

With much talk in Mann lately about realising a tourism dividend from Cruise ship traffic one small town in Co Donegal Ireland is already realising the potential. This weekend the large Cruise ship Queen Victoria docked at the town and as this report from Highland Radio indicates the town is realising real benefits from such passing tourism trade (link):

http://www.highlandradio.com/2018/05/21/tourists-in-their-thousands-desc...

It's not just Killybegs however with its comparatively small population that is realising a dividend. As Councillor Niamh Kennedy says in an interview for Highland Radio Donegal the tourists were bussed to other towns including Donegal Town and Belleek over the border in the North.

Killybegs benefits from a natural deep water harbour that has been extensively developed. I have visited the town on several occasions and its an attractive port which until recently has depended very much on the Atlantic fishery (most of the larger trawlers in Ireland work out of it).

Population wise the town is still fairly small with just 1300 people. However obviously they are thinking big and a further multi million euro port development should further enhance both its tourism and fishery activity.

So far for 2018 thirteen cruise ships are scheduled to call at Killybegs with several like the Queen Victoria and he Sister ship Queen Elizabeth at the top end vis a vis accommodation of the cruise ship market.

Image: Cruise ship Queen Victoria in Killybegs