Economic Value of Ireland's Historic Environment - The Heritage ...

tourist industry) and “Destination Westport” 55 , a joint marketing organisation operated by the main
hoteliers in the town, including a website.
7.3 Inputs
In general, heritage and tourism overall in Westport benefit from ongoing improvement, rather than big
bang approach. Enjoyment of Westport town is “free” at the point of use, in that it generally involves
people strolling around enjoying the physical and scenic amenity. All businesses within the area, of
course, charge for their services in the normal manner. Westport House is operated on a commercial
basis and charges fees for entry to the House and attractions, but the grounds are free for both visitors
and users. The Heritage Centre also has a small entry charge.
Public capital investment in Westport has therefore generally involved expenditure by the County/Town
Council on public infrastructure rather than on major heritage or other tourism attractions. In recent years
the main example of this has been the town waste water system (which has benefited from investment in
excess of €30 million). The town also benefited from accommodation tax breaks during the 1990s. It is
also notable that a great deal of local community and voluntary effort has also contributed to the town‟s
success.
The new Great Western Greenway has recently received public investment of €5-6 million including
Departments of Transport and CRAGA, Fáilte Ireland and Mayo County Council. A major recognised
deficit is that of a ring-road, which would allow greater pedestrianisation of major streets in the urban
core.
7.4 Economic Benefits
In Westport the town itself is the heritage product, and it has become a premier tourism destination in
Ireland for both overseas and domestic visitors, and the major tourism destination in County Mayo.
Successive surveys of visitors to Westport confirm that “scenery and sightseeing” is the principal reason
why visitors come to Westport. 56 Westport, particularly its environs, are also relatively affluent in a Mayo
context, and have seen significant population growth during the Celtic Tiger period. This, of course, is
also boosted by other factors and reflects a general pattern of urban growth during that period. 57 Westport
House employs about 80 people during the peak season.
Much of the economic activity of the town can therefore be attributed to its heritage. The town would not
exist but for the existence of Westport House. Equally, its inherent attractiveness derives from being a
planned estate town, which has been preserved reasonably intact over the intervening centuries, and
consciously developed and promoted in recent decades.
Key success factors in the Westport heritage story would therefore be:
55 www.destinationwestport.com
56 Dr. Micheál MacGréil et al, Westport: Report of Research into Tourism in Westport, 2002 and 2012
(forthcoming)
57 Trutz Haase, Key Profile for County Mayo, 2011.
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