FÁILTE IRELAND HAS pledged to invest €150 million into the development of a number of new visitor attractions across the country in a bid to promote tourism.

The investment was announced as part of the authority’s new Platforms for Growth initiative, which was announced this morning as part of the Grants Scheme for Large Tourism Projects, which runs until 2022.

It aims to see the development of a number of new visitor attractions through the provision of grants of €2.5 million upwards.

It will specifically target ‘platforms’ or projects which have the greatest potential to grow tourism across the country, as well as those which fill gaps in the Irish tourism market and are able to meet changing demand among those who visit Ireland.

The first ‘platform’, which was launched today, will focus on developing Ireland’s immersive heritage and cultural attractions.

Announcing the new programme, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross recognised how Ireland’s world-class attractions have helped to grow the tourism sector in recent years.

“I look forward to visiting the world-class attractions that will be developed through this major investment programme,” the Minister said.

“This will put Ireland on an even stronger footing in the international marketplace.”

Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly added that the investment would specifically seek out projects to tap into what overseas visitors are looking for when they come to Ireland.

“Creating a more regional spread of visitors is central to our capital investment strategy and through Platforms for Growth, new attractions across the country will be developed and existing ones transformed,” he said.