All of Westmeath to be promoted under the Hidden Heartland's brand, Fáilte Ireland announces
The entire county of Westmeath will now be promoted as part of Fáilte Ireland's Hidden Heartlands tourism brand.
The reunification of Westmeath for tourism promotion purposes, follows what Fáilte Ireland says was a “comprehensive review” of the Hidden Heartlands and Ireland's Ancient East tourism brands.
The county had previously been split with the Athlone area part of the Hidden Heartlands brand, while Mullingar and the rest of the county, including popular tourism sites such as Belvedere House and Fore Abbey, were promoted as part of Ireland's Ancient East brand.
As part of the restructuring, all of counties Cavan and Offaly will also come under the Hidden Heartlands brand, as well as an additional part of Tipperary.
The announcement was made at Fáilte Ireland’s ‘From Survival to Recovery’ industry event at The Convention Centre Dublin today, 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.
Fáilte Ireland says that the expanded footprint for the Hidden Heartlands brand “will give visitors a more cohesive visitor experience in the area and will strengthen the overall tourism offering”.