Lonely Planet Guide endorsement good for Clare tourism

ENNIS, Ireland - Oct. 21, 2014 - PRLog -- The Chair of the Clare Tourism Forum has welcomed the Lonely Planet Guide's strong endorsement of the local tourism sector in its preview of global tourism destinations to visit in 2015.

The annually updated Guide has named Ireland as one of the top five countries in the world to visit next year with County Clare and the Wild Atlantic Way receiving prominent mentions.

"It is very important for Irish tourism to receive such an endorsement when one considers the growing competition from developing tourism destinations," stated Donnagh Gregson.

She continued: "The inclusion of Ireland alongside Singapore, Namibia, Lithuania and Nicaragua in the Top 10 list is evidence of the outstanding performance of the domestic tourism sector in recent years in spite of the general downturn in the global economy. Ireland is obviously succeeding in marketing itself to newer markets such as India and China and at the same time remaining an attractive destination for our traditional tourist markets."

"It is particularly satisfying to see that Clare has been singled out by the Guide for its hospitality, which is something that the Clare Tourism Forum has embraced as part of its overall efforts to enhance the quality of the tourism product offered by the local sector. For example, the Forum's Cead Míle Failte initiative has been very successful in setting County Clare apart as a welcoming, visitor-friendly destination," Ms. Gregson added.

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2015 selected countries where there was something special next year to draw travellers or because it regards them as “up-and-coming”.