Fáilte Ireland recently launched the Grants Scheme for Large Tourism Projects which will provide a pool of €65m in investment to develop new, or boost existing, tourism experiences and attractions across Ireland.
The scheme, which will run from 2016-2020, is now open for applications from the public, private and voluntary sectors including community groups and support for commercial projects. Under the scheme, capital grants in excess of €200k and up to a maximum of €5m will be available.
Information sessions are being held across the country including Donegal to inform potential applicants about the application process including the guidelines, state aid rules and timelines as well as the background and context behind the scheme.
DONEGAL – Thursday 14th July, Harvey’s Point Hotel from 10am to midday
Speaking about the new scheme, Paddy Mathews from Fáilte Ireland said “This scheme is central to the future development of the tourism sector. If we are to compete internationally as a compelling destination, we need to think big. Therefore, we wish to fund a number of big projects around the country which have the scale, the strength and the appeal to attract many more overseas visitors to our shores. We are also anxious to fund attractions and projects across all our destination brands and, ideally, we will have a good level of applications from all parts of the country.”
More information on the scheme
The Grants Scheme for Large Tourism Projects has been designed to support large tourism projects with significant economic potential and the ability to:
Boost overseas visitor growth;
Create Jobs;
Promote Fáilte Ireland’s existing destination brands – Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Dublin. A Breath of Fresh Air.
The funding for the ‘Grants Scheme for Large Tourism Projects’ is drawn from Fáilte Ireland’s overall capital fund, which is valued at €125m over the next seven years.
This grant scheme takes an innovation-friendly and outcome-led approach to financial support. Rather than being prescriptive in terms of the types of projects eligible for funding, the scheme instead emphasises the desired development outcomes and invites applications from potential projects which will help to deliver those outcomes.
The initial deadline for the Grants Scheme for Large Tourism Projects is the 12th of August at 12 noon. The scheme will then open again in January 2017 on a rolling basis and will run until 2020. You can find out more about the scheme, including how to apply, here.
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