KILDARE GENERAL, 3 October: by Brian Byrne. Two familiarisation trips organised by Kildare Failte recently brought a total of 26 people involved with local tourism and its promotion around a number of County Kildare visitor attractions.
The venues included the Japanese Gardens, the Athy Heritage Centre, Crookstown Mill and a Barge Trip in Robertsown (right). Some of the group, which included tour operators, attraction managers and owners, tourism promotion staff and journalists, also visited Maynooth College, Castletown, Celbridge Abbey and the Kildare Heritage Centre, as well as the K Gardens and a Barge Tour on the Barrow Line.
The trips were designed to both encourage incoming tour operators to provide a stop in Kildare on their itineraries, and to make local operators familiar with each other's attractions so they could encourage inter-site visiting by tourists.
"Everyone was amazed by the wonderful and unique amenities that County Kildare has to offer, on Dublin's doorstep," County Kildare Failte development director Karen Gorey said afterwards.
©2001brianbyrne/knn