Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands to include all of Offaly and part of North Tipp

FÁILTE Ireland is strengthening the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands brand and it will now include all of County Offaly and a large swathe of North Tipperary.

With immediate effect, Counties Cavan, Westmeath and Offaly will sit wholly within the Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands brand and will no longer be part of the Ireland’s Ancient East brand.

In addition, a slightly greater portion of Co. Tipperary will also be encompassed within the Hidden Heartlands brand, namely all the Nenagh Municipal District and part of the Thurles Municipal District.

These changes come following a comprehensive brand review of the Ireland’s Ancient East and the Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands tourism brands.

The announcement was made on Tuesday at Fáilte Ireland’s ‘From Survival to Recovery’ industry event at The Convention Centre Dublin, which was attended by over 800 representatives from the tourism and hospitality industry.

Making the announcement, Paddy Mathews, Head of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands at Fáilte Ireland said: “Today’s expansion of the Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands brand to include Cavan, Westmeath, Offaly and part of Tipperary will allow us to further raise awareness of this region domestically and internationally. The Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands brand is centred around Ireland’s natural rural beauty, relaxation, and untouched heritage and outdoor activities which each of these counties boast in abundance. We look forward to working with industry stakeholders, strategic partners, Members of the Oireachtas and the Local Authorities as we develop this beautiful region as one of the leading regenerative tourism destinations in Europe, with nature and communities at its heart.”

Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands was launched by Fáilte Ireland in 2018 and has been successful in growing tourism in the region. The expanded footprint for Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands to include Cavan, Westmeath, Offaly and part of Tipperary will give visitors a more cohesive visitor experience in the area and will strengthen the overall tourism offering.

A geographical review of the region was planned when the initial success of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands could be quantified. This review found that the brand has resonated very well with both domestic and overseas visitors since its launch in April 2018. This has provided the basis on which to recommend an expansion of the geographical area of the brand to cover more of the Midlands

It was felt that the division of Westmeath, Cavan and Offaly between the two brands was confusing for the visitor and some industry, which was having a negative effect on brand adoption and visitor experience on the ground.

The proposed adjustments will strengthen the core propositions of both brands, bringing clarity by aligning them to county boundaries insofar as possible.

The proposed adjustments to the regional tourism brand boundaries align more naturally with the visitor offering on the ground including landscape, product base and primary travel corridors.

The adjustments will enable a more efficient alignment of industry as well as a clearer collaboration and engagement with other authorities within existing county structures.

It will make it easier for Local Authorities to do business with Failte Ireland if dealing with one regional tourism brand as opposed to two.