Fáilte Ireland’s major new capital investment programme worth €150 million is called Platforms for Growth, and will run from 2019 to 2022. Major new visitor attractions of scale will be developed and existing attractions greatly enhanced under the programme which falls under the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 strategy.

This is the largest investment programme of its kind to benefit tourism with individual grants available for large-scale visitor attractions of €2.5million upwards. It is unlike any other Fáilte Ireland call in that it specifically targets ‘platforms’ or project types that have the greatest potential to grow tourism across Ireland and throughout the year.

The first ‘Platform’ launched on 29th May 2019 focusses on developing Immersive Heritage and Cultural Attractions that appeal to overseas visitors looking for experiences that help them to ‘connect’ with Ireland and bring the country’s culture, heritage and people to life.

Driving growth in the regions through tourism is a core focus of our work at Fáilte Ireland and having top-class visitor attractions and experiences is an integral part of this. We look for every possible opportunity to stimulate and support the development of new attractions throughout the country. Creating a more regional spread of visitors is central to our capital investment strategy, and through this platform new attractions across the country will be developed and existing ones transformed.

This call for proposals is part of a suite of tourism capital grants programmes envisaged under the Fáilte Ireland’s Tourism Investment Strategy [pdf, 3.8MB] for the period 2016-2022 and is part of the Grants Scheme for Large Tourism Projects 2016-2020.

How to apply

Before applying, please ensure you have read the Guidelines which contains all the information regarding the operation of the Immersive Heritage and Cultural Attractions platform. Fáilte Ireland has also developed a Toolkit to accompany the platform, which applicants should use as a resource to help make the best possible case for their project proposals. Both documents can be downloaded below.

The first two stages to be taken in making an application for funding under this Platform are as follows:

Stage One: Expression of interest

In order to receive an application form, you will need to register your interest by filling out a short questionnaire. Any applicant or project that is clearly ineligible for funding will be informed of this and will not receive an application form. Otherwise a link to the application form will be emailed to you.

You can submit your Expression of Interest here.

The deadline for registering an expression of interest is 17th July 2019 at 12:00 noon.

Stage Two: Completing the application form

Once an Expression of Interest is submitted, eligible applicants will then receive an email invitation with a link to the Stage 2 Application Form. The application form will be hosted on Fáilte Ireland’s Trade Portal. Only application forms submitted online via the Trade Portal will be accepted and evaluated.

Incomplete applications and applications received after the closing date will not be considered for evaluation.

The final deadline for receipt of applications is Wednesday 7th August at 12:00 noon.
Applicant Workshops

In order to be eligible to apply for funding under this Platform, applicants must attend a mandatory workshop prior to completing Stage 2. The nationwide programme of workshops is now complete. However, Fáilte Ireland will run a series of weekly workshops at our offices in Limerick and Dublin until the end of the Expression of Interest stage.

For any queries, and to register for one of these workshops, please email: .

**Timelines for Applications**

Programme Opens: 29th May 2019.

Close of Expression of Interest Applications: 17th July 2019 at 12:00 noon.

Close of Stage 2 Applications: 7th August 2019 at 12:00 noon. (Reminder: Applicants must have attended a mandatory workshop before submission of this application form).

For details on what happens subsequent to this, please refer to the Guidelines which accompany the programme.
Contact Information

For further information on the Platforms for Growth programme, please contact us by email: .