Councillor Jim Ryan has asked that funding be requested from Fáilte Ireland under the Just Transition Fund.
He says Mid-Tipp lags behind the rest of Ireland when it comes to provisions and locations for tourists coming into the district in camper vans to park.
Councillor Ryan says this would do wonders for tourism in the area.
“I just feel that if we provided camper van facilities here in Thurles, it would bring tourists into the town; they would spend money in the town, stay over a few nights, and they could move on. Obviously, if they enjoy themselves, they’ll come back again. So I asked the council if they would apply for funding to see if a camper van facility could be provided in the town, and they agreed that they would check it out and see if it was possible. They said it was a good idea to bring people into the town to spend money locally.”
This comes following a recent presentation from Fáilte Ireland that they had received money under the Just Transition Fund, with Cllr. Ryan saying some should be earmarked for camp sites and locations.
The independent councillor says the demand for it is there.
“The Mid-Tipperary area is lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to the provision of camp sites or camper van locations for tourists to come into the town, maybe stay over for a night or two, and then move on to their next location. In Ireland, there are over 82,000 camper vans that are registered. Obviously, during the summer months they’ll drive around the country and stay over, but a number of camper associations have contacted me to say they love Thurles, but the one thing that’s lacking is that there’s absolutely nowhere for them to park.”
