Cheap Cliffs of Moher pass fails to attract locals

A CUT-PRICE deal for Clare residents to view the Cliffs of Moher has had a limited take-up, it was confirmed yesterday.

Between 110 and 130 “local passes” have been purchased to date, according to the director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre, Katherine Webster.

The “local pass” was announced by the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre when it introduced a contentious €6 per visit charge last August.

The “local pass” costs €12 and allows Clare residents unlimited visits to the 600ft cliffs and the exhibition until the end of 2011. It is available to the 82,385 adult residents in Clare and has the potential to raise €500,000 – €1 million for the centre if there is a significant take-up of the scheme.

Member of Clare County Council, councillor Martin Conway (FG) said “it is disappointing the numbers that have taken up on the scheme”. But he added that “it is far too early to label the scheme a failure . . . I would expect as we get closer to the summer, the number of applications will rise”.

However, Ms Webster said: “We see this as a good take-up of the pass and expect to see a small amount of more growth in the number.” She confirmed overall visitor numbers for 2010 were 720,574 – a 5.5 per cent drop on the 2009 figures.