Irish Lights Safety & Navigation
Irish Lights - Statutory Functions Provision & Maintenance of General Aids to Marine Navigation (AtoN) All Ireland Network 70 Lighthouses 115 Buoys Superintendence and 24 Beacons Management of Local AtoN 23 Racon 82 AIS 3 DGPS Marking or removal of dangerous wreck outside of harbour areas
Bull Rock 3
Bull Rock 30 Metre Contour Consolidate to Old • Siren House Main/Standby Vega • VLB92 lanterns 18’ range from either • lantern Tideland Seabeacon • II Racon Kannad AIS AtoN •
Modern Aids to Navigation Aids to Navigation (traffic/risk)
Surplus Property - Consolidation Roche’s Pt. Vacant Dwelling Consol to Tower Surplus engine room
Great Lighthouses of Ireland Locations
Vision Develop a flagship tourism experience, manifested in an all-island lighthouse brand, with the potential to gain iconic status and become a key marketing asset for Irish tourism, domestically and internationally. 7 High quality visitor experiences / attractions 8 sites offering lighthouse accommodation Promoted under a single brand supported by Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland Drive tourism business and stimulate local economic activity and employment Secure and preserve lighthouse heritage and history
Investment Mar 2012 Stage 1 - Funding Application to SEUPB May 2012 Stage 2 – Submission of Business Plan & Economic Appraisal Mar 2013 Awarded € 2.5m
Project Scope Refurbish 5 sites in Donegal and NI resulting in 1. new high quality accommodation and visitor attractions Find suitable third parties to operate and build a 2. sustainable business at each site and to develop a stakeholder network to maximize local economic potential Develop a new ‘brand’ for the all island lighthouse 3. tourism project and a business model which all the operators could sign up to Interpretation, Training, Toolkits, Marketing Plan 4. 2014 - 2016 and dedicated web site
Project Partners 9 Third Party Operators 3 Tourism Agencies Irish Landmark Trust Fáilte Ireland RSPB Tourism Ireland Hook Heritage Ltd Tourism Northern Ireland Valentia Island Co-Op Ballycotton Island Tours Ltd Fanad Development Co. Ltd Mid & East Antrim Council Clare County Council Clare Island Lighthouse Ltd 5 Supporting Public Bodies Donegal County Council Údarás na Gaeltachta Dept. of Regional Development NI Transport NI SEUPB (Special EU Programmes Body)
Project Management
Key Deliverables 1. Refurbishment Programme Planning, Environmental Reports, Design, Build and Fit Out, Interpretation 2. Brand Development, Marketing, Training 3. Commercial development plans for each site and Brand Partnership Business Model
St. John’s Point Down Visitor Accommodation
St. John’s Point Down
St. John’s Point Down
St. John’s Point Down St. John’s Point Down
Blackhead Antrim Blackhead Antrim Visitor Accommodation
Rathlin West, Rathlin Island Rathlin West, Rathlin Island 1 1 2 3 4
Rathlin West, Rathlin Island Rathlin West Rathlin Island
Rathlin West, Rathlin Island Rathlin West – Visitor Centre
Rathlin West, Rathlin Island Rathlin West – Visitor Centre
Rathlin West, Rathlin Island Rathlin West, Rathlin Island
Fanad Head Donegal Fanad Head Donegal Tower Tours & (1, 2 & 3) Visitor Exhibition Space Accommodation 2 1 3
Fanad Head Donegal
Fanad Head Donegal Fanad Head Donegal
Fanad Head Donegal Fanad Head Donegal
St. John’s Point Donegal . John’s Point Donegal t. John’s Point Donegal Visitor Accommodation
St. John’s Point Donegal St. John’s Point Donegal
St. John’s Point Donegal St. John’s Point Donegal Required AtoN equipment transferred to Tower
2. Brand Development, Interpretation & Training 1. Common brand that all sites can trade and market under that over time will gain iconic status and become a key marketing asset for Irish tourism domestically and internationally 2. Translate the brand into compelling and consistent Visitor Experiences by researching and delivering themes and stories that support the brand promise 3. Provide training and toolkits for tour guides , online storytelling and marketing
Broad Deep Consultation 12 7 13 In-depth interviews Workshops with Site visits to Rathlin, with CIL staff, Archivist, operating partners and Fanad, St Johns Donegal, RSPB, tourism agency tourism agencies, CIL St Johns Downpatrick, personnel, NIEA, staff, Rathlin and Fanad Blackhead and the Baily. Carrickfergus Borough Communities Council 2 Review of CIL 2 Familiarisation documentation, Consumer Focus Briefings at CIL Head international lighthouse Groups in Dublin & Office and on board and tourism brands and Belfast. Granuaile other desk research. Ongoing Consultations and meetings with potential operators, tourism stakeholders, CIL and InterReg Steering Group.
Brand Design
Brand Design
Brand Strategy • Position Great Lighthouses of Ireland as a signature, iconic and must do experience • Specifically seek to promote Great Lighthouses of Ireland as a key experiential proof point for the Wild Atlantic Way, Ancient East and Causeway Coastal Route • Build the brand and the individual lighthouse experiences to appeal to different segments as well as interest groups • Motivate the tourism agencies (who have the resources and the need to get new product out) to promote Great Lighthouses of Ireland on both a domestic and overseas basis as part of the propositions they are already focussed on
Conor Pope – The Irish Times Monday, July 6 th , 2015 This is a place for mysteries to unfold and adventures to begin, particularly if one of the travelling party is an eight- year old immersed in the world of the famous five. There is even an underground tunnel leading directly to the lighthouse. The clouds over Blackhead darken quickly . The wind picks up and rattles the timber-framed sash windows on the cliff- edge cottage. Sheets of rain threaten to shatter the glass, and spray coming off the waves from Belfast Lough adds to the sense of isolated menace in the lighthouse keeper’s home. It is brilliant.
3. Business Model Identify a Co-operative operating model for GLI that is sustainable and delivers success to all partners • To enable the operators to collaborate to drive the growth and development in visitor numbers to all sites over time • To develop a collective plan to market and promote the brand and visitor experience • To research and develop new offers to keep the brand proposition fresh, meet changing consumer needs and encourage repeat visits • To establish clear standards to which all brand partners will be required to comply • To manage the sites in a sustainable manner, source finance for ongoing development and account to CIL for the responsible use and development of the assets
Research • Irish Tourism Associations and Groups (positioning and profile, services and benefits, business development, governance) - Good Food Ireland - B&B Ireland - Manor House Hotels - Ireland’s Blue Book - Hidden Ireland - Activities, hubs and clusters e.g. Family Fun, Walkers Welcome • International Case Studies - Camino de Santiago - Queensland Heritage Trails Network - Hadrian’s Wall Trust - Norway Tourism Driving routes - America Byways Organisation • Discussions with operators and agencies • Internal analysis and option development
Operating Model: Partnership at 2 levels GLI Membership Advisory Group Association To guide, support and To collectively grow and inform develop new business Working together to deliver more visitors, more revenue, better experiences
Economic Impacts • No. of GLI Lighthouse Sites open to public 12 • No of bed nights annually (up 75%) 19,000 • Expected occupancy by year 3 50% • No of Visitors by 2020 200,000 • Estimated Value (Direct) € 1m per annum • Additional catalytic investment
Lessons Learned Public/Private Collaboration • Importance of a clear vision, supportive policy environment and the latitude to be creative and bring multiple partners into a co-operative project structure which leverages their collective strengths ….. gets you up and running …. • Big complex project - Strong direction with a focus on maintaining an alignment of all partner interests….. everyone wins …. • Public sector agency support has been outstanding (north and south) and enabled a business and community led approach to project ……. role – fill gaps quickly …..
Lessons Learned • Re-imagine our assets in an innovative way that brings a new value to us and stimulates wider community and SME investment • Great Lighthouses Brand fits well with existing tourism brands WWW, Ancient East, Causeway Coast and Mourne Way – as a result welcome addition to our marine tourism product suite and will make a strong contribution to our 6 billion tourism sector
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