Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 December 2025
462. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the implementation of Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors; the estimated value of the outdoor recreation sector to the Irish economy; if the Minister has data on visitor numbers to some of the flagship outdoor recreation projects his Department has supported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73100/25]
View answerEmbracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2027 was published in November 2022. This Strategy was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is a cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy. The Strategy contains 95 agreed actions for implementation across a wide range of Government departments and agencies, to be delivered over the 5-year life span of the strategy. The implementation of the strategy is being jointly led by my department and Sport Ireland. Progress in delivering the strategy is being monitored through a strategy oversight group and quarterly meetings of Comhairle na Tuaithe.
The 2nd progress report on the implementation of the strategy, covering the period July 2024 to June 2025, was recently published and is available on www.gov.ie. In line with a commitment (Action 6.7) in Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, Sport Ireland have engaged external expertise to undertake a study to measure the economic, social and health benefits of outdoor recreation in Ireland. The outcome of this study will be available in Quarter 1 of 2026. It will provide data on the value of the sector to the economy and will provide evidence to support future decision-making on investment in outdoor recreation.
My department does not routinely compile data on visitor numbers from each project supported by my Department. However, there are counters in place on trails and at recreational sites operated by different bodies including local authorities, local development companies, community groups and Coillte. Some of these are supported with funding from my department. My officials are currently exploring ways to better collate and make available the counter data gathered by all these different organisations.
My department also has a strategic partnership in place with Coillte given our shared ambition for the outdoor recreation sector. Coillte data in relation to visitor numbers at key sites is available in their annual report. For example, in 2024 over 3 million visits were recorded using visitor counters at 47 dedicated Coillte recreation areas, with Avondale Forest Park, Co. Wicklow, Rossmore Forest Park, Co. Monaghan, and Ticknock, Co. Dublin recording the highest numbers.
