The leading lights in sport tourism nationally and in Europe were recognised for their impact on the fast growing sector, when the inaugural Shannon Group European Sport Tourism Awards were handed out in King John's Castle, Limerick on Thursday last.

Representatives from organisations, locations and venues from across Ireland and Europe gathered at the Shannon Heritage venue on the banks of the River Shannon as 15 category awards were up for contention.

The awards delivered a proud moment for the Mountain Bike Park in Ballyhoura, Co Limerick, which last year staged the European Mountain Bike Championships, as it took the honours in one of the top categories, the European Sport Tourism Venue of the year.

The shortlisted entrants comprised towns, cities, events and venues from Ireland and across Europe already becoming synonymous with the sector, which is growing at a rate of 14% per annum globally, compared to the 5% growth of the wider tourism industry.

The Mountain Bike Trails, designed by the world’s leading trail designer Dafydd Davis, is the largest trail network of its kind in Ireland. The trails are widely known as being an endurance test for any experience biker, so therefore it was an ideal choice as a venue to host the European Mountain Bike Championships, which took place in June last year. The fact that there are a wide variety of other activities for tourists to do in the area is also a major advantage.

LOCAL ECONOMIC BENEFIT

Ben O’Sullivan, chairperson of Ballyhoura Fáilte, stated that they and Ballyhoura Heritage & Environment, were delighted and privileged to receive the European Tourism venue of the year award.

“The event that brought such a prestigious award was the 2014 European Mountain Bike Championship. It brought the elite in mountain bikers from all over Europe to Ballyhoura. This was such a boost to the economy of the region. The event was the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people over a long period to bring this event - the first in Ireland.”

This award is a great achievement for the Mountain Bike Trail Park, which will also host the Beast of Ballyhoura Adventure Race and European Adventure Race finals on the August bank holiday later this year. Firmly secured on the European Adventure Race Circuit, over 80% of the teams participating for 2015 are international.

Amanda Slattery Tourism & Heritage Officer Ballyhoura Development Ltd., expressed sincere acknowledgement to the hard working board and staff of Ballyhoura Fáilte & Ballyhoura Heritage & Environment, Ballyhoura Development Ltd, and all strategic partners including Coillte, Fáilte Ireland, local authorities, and all event partners.

“Ballyhoura Country looks forward to another busy season, and to continuing the work of attracting International events to avail of the world class trail infrastructure on offer in this area, an area that deserves recognition for its natural scenic beauty and its authentic welcome - onwards and upwards,” she said.

The awards were one of the high points of the two-day Shannon Airport European Sport Tourism Summit in Limerick – an annual think-tank on the industry that was addressed by some of the world’s leading experts on sport tourism.

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