New attraction could bring 200,000 people per year to Waterford
The North Quays.
A ‘Tourist Attraction of Scale’ that is being developed in Waterford has the potential to attract an annual footfall of 200,000 people per annum, Waterford Council’s Chief Executive has said.
In March 2025, Failte Ireland unveiled their intentions to develop an attraction of scale at the north side of the river in Waterford City.
The tourism body indicated that the attraction would potentially become a transformative project for tourism not just in Waterford, but the entire south east region.
To commence the project, Waterford Council entered a process with Fáilte Ireland to produce a strategic assessment report. This report outlines what the attraction will involve and where exactly it will be positioned.
Chief Executive of Waterford Council, Sean McKeown, provided updates on this process last week, saying that a final report is now complete.
This report will now be presented to the Fáilte Ireland board with a recommendation to proceed to a preliminary business case.
Mr. McKeown said, “The key threshold here is that this becomes something that has the capacity to attract about 200,000 people per year. That will be transformational not only for Waterford, but to the entire region.
Although costs have not yet been determined, Mr. McKeown said they will be “quite significant.”
You can read our Special Report on the attraction of scale HERE
(Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme)
