A five-year plan to harness the global tourist potential of Irish lighthouses to become beacons of hope for isolated areas has been launched by Great Lighthouses of Ireland (GLI) at its annual conference on Valentia Island.
GLI is an all-Ireland tourism initiative developed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights to promote its unique maritime heritage.
It features 16 of the country's 65 automatic lighthouses which are open to the public, and are being regenerated as heritage buildings with a tourism focus.
Last year, the lighthouses welcomed some 384,000 visitors, with over 50% of the visitors to larger sites coming from overseas.
The five-year strategy hopes to build on the success of the GLI brand which was set up by Irish Lights to promote its heritage and iconic buildings some nine years ago.
Working with public, private and community partners its goal was also to unlock the economic and social potential of the lighthouses within their geographical areas.
On the second day of the three-day conference in Co Kerry, GLI also signed a memorandum of understanding with Údarás na Gaeltachta to develop the tourism potential of lighthouses in Gaeltacht areas, with Tourism Ireland showcasing a number of videos it commissioned to promote lighthouse tourism on its social media.
Colum O'Connell of Valentia Island Development Company says the lighthouse was the focus of fixing the rural decline which has seen its population plummet from over 2000 in 1966 to just 650.
Some 20,000 people have visited the Valentia lighthouse in 2024 - a 12-fold increase in visitors since 2013. He says this would not have occurred without the help of GLI.
Brendan Curtin and his wife Elizabeth run Kerry Aqua Terra Boat Tours. Over the past six years, they've seen first hand the potential for lighthouse tourism.
In August, they acquired a new tour boat, the Skellig Bounty, which will allow them to bring tourists out on the water to view the lighthouse in all weather conditions and extend the tourist season.
Brendan says it is a vote of support in the brand's potential and what it could mean in the long-term for their coastal community.
Over 60 lighthouse, marine and tourism leaders and providers are attending the conference which runs until tomorrow.
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