IT’S LONG been a favourite of daytrippers and holiday makers from across the North, but now the popularity of Bundoran is spreading across the continent, and it’s not only surfers who are flocking from afar.
A new cafe on the seafront, The Salty Shell, is the latest addition to the town’s offering for visitors, who are increasingly coming from further afield.
Located in what used to be the public toilets, the strikingly shaped building has been taken over by the same people who run The Salty Fox and is already proving to be just as popular with the crowds of visitors.
Tourism officer Shane Smyth said The Salty Shell was one of many new businesses to open in the town this year.
“The more things there are for people to do, the more places there are for people to eat and drink, the more it will continue to make Bundoran a destination,” he said.
“Without our local community and local businesses working as hard as they do Bundoran would be a much duller place to visit. They give its vibrancy and choice, people want choice and that’s what we give them in Bundoran.”
Mr Smyth said there were “more plans in the pipeline” for more new attractions and amenities, adding the people of the town realised “we can’t sit back and hope that people come, we have to give them a reason.”
The efforts are paying off, with tourists numbers rising each year.
“Working in the tourist office it is very easy to see this particularly the amount of European visitors, especially those from Germany,” said Mr Smyth.
“Every day we have all sorts of nationalities walking through the door and looking for things to do in the area.”
While he agreed the success of the Wild Atlantic Way has helped attract more visitors, Mr Smyth said a lot of work was being down locally to sell the town, such as social media marketing and highly successful events such as Sea Sessions.
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