Cork to Norway sailing route to be developed by CIT in 126m project

CORK'S RCYC WILL HAVE MAJOR MARKETING ROLE

RCYC: marketing role in new Cork-Norway sailing route

CORK’S CIT has been awarded a significant project to develop a new maritime tourism route between Cork and the Arctic Circle areas of Norway. David Lovegrove, president of the Irish Sailing Association, announced the details in CIT.

The ‘Cool Route Coastline’ is one of the most scenic cruising grounds globally and, apart from the outstanding natural beauty of the route, it provides uncrowded, and most importantly, highly secure waters in which to voyage over long distances.

CIT has received funding valued at €1.26m to develop a co-ordinated cruising route.

The Northern Peripheral and Arctic (NPA) Interreg VB Programme funds projects addressing transnational innovation, enterprise development and entrepreneurship across the programme territories covering Southern and Western Ireland, Northern Ireland, Western and Northern Scotland, The Faroe Islands, Western Norway, Iceland and Greenland.

Cruising Oceans on Latitudes above 51º North – the ‘COOL Route’, was approved by the NPA Interreg Programme and will research all of the logistical, business, and marketing planning for the route which will support other complimentary maritime, and shore-based tourism initiatives in all of the intervening regions.

Dr Breda Kenny, head of the Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence at CIT, who will manage the overall project, said: ‘While the project is about yacht cruising, its key objective is to provide a wide range of new business opportunities for new entrepreneurs and existing SMEs throughout the route.’

Gerard O'Donovan, head of the faculty of Business and Humanities at CIT, said that the project epitomised modern entrepreneurship by building significant business opportunities in a very sustainable and ecological manner, based on high quality natural resources.

He noted that the COOL Route could open up many new business opportunities in peripheral coastal areas of all countries concerned.

Partners in the project include Cork Institute of Technology (lead partner and Business Planning), Donegal County Council (Project Publicity and Dissemination), Glasgow Caledonian University (Route Logistics and Planning), The Royal Cork Yacht Club (COOL Route Marketing), Derry City Council (Common Booking System), Torshavn Port Authority (Expert inputs safety) Blues Seas Marinas (Expert inputs design, realisation and commercialisation planning), Western Norway Research Institute (Rural Tourism Development).

Associate partners and other project participants include the Irish Cruising Club, Donegal Tourism, Sail Scotland and the Irish Sailing Association, along with a wide range of local authority, local development, tourism and sailing interests.