The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) this week confirmed what thousands of children from the district and beyond have known for a year – the Slieve Gullion Forest Adventure Park ranks among the best attractions in the country. Since its opening last summer tens of thousands of families have availed of world class play facilities which are set against the backdrop of the Ring of Gullion Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At its award ceremony last week in Belfast the NITB rubber stamped this success by presenting the Tourism Partner Initiative award to the team behind the £500,000 project. Such has been the success of the park that initial aims of attracting an additional 2,000 visitors to south Armagh in the first two year period were surpassed in a warm weekend – with the park welcoming an average of 2,000 visitors per day in July and August 2012. As a result of the popularity of the attraction a new tourism information point will this week open at Slieve Gullion. Plans are also being made to deliver a second phase of the play facilities in addition to the provision of glamping pods. The development of the project was led by Julie McCann of Newry and Mourne District Council who worked with a range of partners including sticky fingers, Forestry Service, The Clanrye Group, Newry and Mourne Senior Citizens Consortium, youth groups and local primary schools, to establish the park. The project was funded by CASA, SOAR and Newry and Mourne District Council, to the value of £500k.
Newry Reporter
5th June 2013
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