Good practice:

Great Western Greenway

The Great Western Greenway is a 42km greenway that was developed by Mayo County Council using funding from the council and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The greenway runs from Westport to Achill and passes through a number of key towns bringing over 250,000 visitors every year. The greenway is an attractive product for tourists as it comprises of cycle-friendly facilities, a range of accommodation options, scenic views and a food trail known as the gourmet greenway.

The team within Mayo County Council have continued to promote the Greenway to national and international visitors and have invested in marketing and promotion strategies. The team behind the Greenway continue to promote and issue press releases when there are new additions and developments on the greenway.

The Great Western greenway is promoted online and in print publications and has featured in a range of news articles including the New York Times. Mayo County Council have also collaborated with Failte Ireland to promote the greenway through its marketing channels and by using the Wild Atlantic Way brand.

As a result of the Great Western Greenway a number of projects and additional tourism products have emerged. Mulranny Park Hotel and several food producers in the Mulranny/Newport/Achill area have devised a food trail, the "Gourmet Greenway", to showcase artisan food producers located near to and along the route of the Great Western Greenway. Mayo County Council have also convert

€28million funding from Mayo County Council and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sports. Ongoing human resources from Mayo County Council. An additional €3.2 million from the Department of Rural and Community Development was as secured in June 2019 to extend the greenway to 56km.

An economic impact assessment in 2016 indicated that the Great Western had 484,000 trips (265,000 users, 139,000 visitors) in year seven 2016.
In 2016 the greenway was worth €38.9m to the local economy each year and supports 200 direct jobs, (710 indirect)

Agreeing routes and land access agreements with private landowners is a time-consuming process which requires significant time from staff within Mayo County Council. The promotion and marketing of the greenway is an ongoing task and the team behind the greenway continuously work with stakeholders to

The Great Western Greenway demonstrates that as well as having a greenway, it is important to work with stakeholders to develop additional tourism products and services which collectively boost the appeal of the Greenway. Organisations developing greenways could learn from the model and practices used by Mayo County Council to continually promote and add value to a greenway.