Our forests are open for recreation

Wicklow, 22nd November 2007 - Coillte, in partnership with Failte Ireland, today unveiled the €5.3 million 'Welcome Initiative', providing state of the art outdoor recreation facilities for walkers and cyclists across the country. Mary Wallace TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Éamon Ó'Cuív, TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, jointly launched the programme at a reception in Coillte's Newtownmountkennedy headquarters and also launched the new dedicated recreation website – www.coillteoutdoors.ie.     

Funded by Failte Ireland, as part of the Forest Recreation Infrastructure Upgrading Programme, the programme is delivering 250 km of walking, hiking and biking trails to the highest standard, at 34 sites across the country, including upgrading of existing trails and construction of new ones. The new signage at these sites will also increase public awareness of the access to the countryside that Coillte lands provide.

The new Coillte Outdoors website -  www.coillteoutdoors.ie - allows anyone interested in outdoor recreation in Ireland to research and plan activities around the country from the comfort of their computers, providing maps and information on the different types of trails which people can visit on any of Coillte's sites.

Speaking at the launch Minister Wallace said:  "Coillte is delivering a range of public benefits on its land from recreation to biodiversity management. The focus of today is the provision of recreational facilities and this latest enhancement and enlargement of those facilities is to be welcomed and encouraged.  Recreational tourism has significant benefits in terms of rural development as changes in agriculture  mean rural economies will need to look at new sources of income. Forests, in particular those owned by Coillte, provide a significant potential resource for delivering the infrastructure to support such developments. Coillte has eleven forest parks and over 150 recreation sites throughout the country while it also manages over 52% of all off road national trails. Failte Ireland is to be commended for their investment in this €5 million programme, under the Forest Recreation Infrastructure Upgrading Programme, to deliver this programme of work."

Éamon Ó Cuív TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs said: "Coillte as the country's largest land-owner and as a member of Comhairle na Tuaithe has a key role in facilitating access to countryside recreation with positive health and economic benefits for both our rural and urban communities. The Coillte initiatives fit very well with the range of solutions we are developing to facilitate agreed access to the countryside and the development of rural recreation. I commend Coillte and Fáilte Ireland for introducing the Welcome Initiative and in developing the website which signals where walkers, hikers and cyclists are welcome on Coillte lands in the Irish countryside."

David Gunning, CEO, Coillte noted: "Many of Coillte's forests are in beautiful locations, making them a wonderful resource and a great place to walk and hike.  The 'Walkers Welcome' and 'Cyclists Welcome' signs and the website will greatly enhance the awareness among the general public of the fantastic recreational resource that Coillte's forests provide. Over 18 million visitors per year visit Coillte recreational areas and we are delighted to be working with Failte Ireland and other stakeholders to improve and expand the available infrastructure of walking, hiking, multi access, and long distance trails. We hope to continue to provide recreation to users that is environmentally and socially sustainable but we must also ensure that this valuable contribution is recognised and its management resourced into the future."

Paul Keeley, Marketing Director of Fáilte Ireland, said: "Failte Ireland is delighted to have been able to fund this initiative and to work in partnership with Coillte to deliver this very positive development in relation to outdoor recreation and Ireland's tourism product. Fáilte Ireland is currently working to maximise the potential of Ireland's excellent walking routes and to take advantage of the increasing interest in walking holidays from both Ireland and abroad. The development of our walking product is extremely important in helping to increase the volume of tourists to the regions. Over 93% of walkers visit areas outside of Dublin and they also tend to stay longer than the average tourist. We commend Coillte on the work they have done on the trails across the country."

The Programme launched today includes investment in walking trails, car parks, way marking and signage as well as mountain biking and family cycling, an increasingly popular activity. The new signage will inform people of the activities they can enjoy at these locations and what facilities are available.

Forest related tourism and recreation in Coillte's forests generate an estimated €268 million* of economic activity for the rural economy every year.  Each year, Coillte welcomes over eighteen million visitors to its forests which equates to a value to users of €97m*. Coillte has eleven forest parks and over 150 recreation sites throughout the country while Coillte manages over 52% of all off road national trails.

 

For further information contact:

Tom Byrne,
Coillte
Tel: 353 1 201 5231 / 086 810 4224

About Coillte

Coillte is a commercial company operating in forestry, land based businesses, energy and added-value processing operations. The company, which today employs 1,300 people, was established in 1988 and owns over 445,000 hectares of land, approximately 7% of the land cover in Ireland.  Coillte has 3 operating divisions – Coillte Forest, Coillte Enterprise and Coillte Panel Products - reflecting the key areas of strategic focus for the Group.