Atlantic Discover Platform – Co. Kerry

Funded by Rural Future Digital Innovation Programme 2021
Funding awarded: €200,000
Maturity: Scaling

Contact details:
Kerry County Council
E: info@kerrycoco.ie
P: 066/7183500

Who: One of the largest counties in Ireland, Kerry is located on the most southern easterly coast.  Large sections of the Wild Atlantic Way and the UNESCO world-heritage site Skellig Mhihíl are located within its county boundaries. Famed for its breathtaking landscapes, warm hospitality, locally-produced cuisine, and festive culture, its bountiful heritage attracts visitors from all over the world. Kerry County Council plans to equip tourists with a new digital platform, the ‘Atlantic Discovery Platform’, to better explore this celebrated coastline, its national parks, and legendary hospitality. The initiative builds on the 2018 Digital Innovation Programme Atlantic Discovery App and other projects. The revelation that digitally connected community and sense of place generates revenue, has previously benefited micro-businesses and local SMEs in the area.  

Objectives to: 

• Create a digital platform for visitors to better plan and discover Kerry, the South West, and the Atlantic Seaboard.  
• Enhance the visitor experience via digital connection to relevant information 
• Explore layering digital technologies to create multiple ways to conceive and engage via digitised quality apps and sites 
• Connect the new platform to other important digital assets including the wildatlanticway and discoverkerry 
• Bridge the digital divide between rural and urban tourism industry 

What: The Atlantic Discover Platform serves as a comprehensive repository for tourism information including notable sites of interest, walks, activities, current events, and available amenities. Developing a readily accessible digital platform with salient information for those visiting Kerry, the SouthWest of Ireland, and its Atlantic Seaboard, Kerry County Council will enhance the overall visitor experience. 

Why: The platform goal is to allow all service providers – no matter how peripheral or small the operation is, to provide an authentic brand experience that will increase awareness, direct bookings and physical visits. All service providers will benefit from technologies which would not otherwise be possible or affordable. Local enterprises across the region will therefore attract increased revenue via this first-of-a-kind augmented tourist experience initiative. It will bring together both consumers and businesses via a web of sophisticated information and digital technology. Visitors will have ready access to valuable information that inspires and guides their participation in memorable activities and pathfinding experiences along the Wild Atlantic Way. 

Scale: Regional, County-wide 

Technologies: Mobile Phone Technology, Smart Fit Apps (CMS+) 

Impact and Lessons Learned: 

N/A 

UN Sustainable Development Goals: