Donegal’s most popular tourist attraction is struggling to cope with the number of visitors arriving during the summertime.
Glenveagh National Park, which welcomed 211,000 visitors in 2017, is having “serious issues with traffic management in the peak season”, as reported in Fora.ie.
The Department of Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht are now seeking tenders for a team to deliver an “architect-led project to prepare a Visitor Experience Development and Management Plan” at the park.
As Glenveagh grows in popularity, the €200,000 contract seeks to solve ‘existing and potential visitor capacity issues’ and ‘develop motivating and compelling visitor experiences’.
The tender described how the castle and grounds experience heavy congestion in the summer which impact of the delivery of catering facilities.
There are currently 250 car parking spaces and seven coach spaces at the entrance to Glenveagh. However, the tender document explains that this is not enough at peak times. Traffic sometimes parks on the R251 road outside the gates and there are no public transport buses operating in the area.
It is envisaged that improvements to the experience of Glenveagh National Park will encourage more visitors to come to Donegal and enhance the tourist economy.
Featured Photo: Gardiner Mitchell for Failte Ireland
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