New tourist information kiosks set for Athlone

Fáilte Ireland is investing in a new network of what it describes as “local high-impact tourist information kiosks” in high footfall Athlone locations in a bid to increase accessibility to tourist information.

The tourist authority has yet to confirm exactly how many kiosks will be put in place in Athlone, however, it did say one will be located at the Circle K Motorway Station along the M6, just a few miles from Athlone and Moate.

In 2021, Fáilte Ireland said it undertook a review of how it shares tourist information nationwide with visitors, both online and in-person. The review identified a need and an opportunity to introduce a new and comprehensive plan in response to changing consumer behaviours, digital trends, and declining visitor numbers to tourist information offices.

Fáilte Ireland stressed that it is “very committed to the development of tourism in Athlone and the wider Hidden Heartlands” but how visitors access tourist information has evolved and their new approach to visitor servicing “focuses on providing visitor information through multiple channels will better meet our visitors’ needs”.

This new approach, Fáilte Ireland believe, will provide local tourism information in Athlone with multiple touchpoints to reach many more visitors.

In addition, they are promising an “optimised mobile-first discoverireland.ie website”for online holiday searches and a “significantly enhanced web presence for Athlone town and county Westmeath” with 84 attractions, activities and places currently listed on discoverireland.ie/athlone.

This will be continuously updated to include local highlights, reasons to visit, recommended visit duration, hidden gems and suggested itineraries.

Athlone tourist information office, which is located in Athlone Castle, has always operated on a seasonal basis and will close at the end of September as usual. It will reopen again on June 1 next year.

While Fáilte Ireland did not give numbers visiting the Athlone tourist information centre, it did say 85% of visitors are international with the majority of footfall during the busy four-month summer season running from June to September.

Other new measures include an enhanced contact call-centre service that will be operational seven days a week including extended evening hours and new Athlone town maps and Westmeath regional maps are being distributed free of charge to all hotels across the county as part of the drive to improve accessibility of tourist information.