Tourists are "blown away" when it comes to what the border region of Cavan and Fermanagh has to offer. That's according to Karen McLernon who is Development Officer for Tourism and Business at the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark. According to Karen, the Geopark itself is the first ever cross border Geopark of its kind in the world.
While visitor numbers have fallen from the initial aftermath of Covid, Karen believes this has benefited the area in ways due to the negative impact that heavy footfall can have when it comes sustaining and safeguarding the geopark in an environmentally friendly way. In terms of tourism, Karen believes that it's important to promote the beauty of border area, particularly to those who are from more southern parts of Ireland. Although the likes of the Cuilcagh Geopark can be more difficult than other areas for people to travel to, Karen believes that when they do visitors are "blown away" by what we have to offer in terms of scenery and hospitality to name just a few.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Karen explained; "Definitely the destination is going well, but there's always room for a few more and that's something that we would always welcome. People do have to work a bit harder to see us, we are a bit more remote and rural to get to but once people come they are completely blown away by what is on offer here. The scenery is absolutely outstanding along with the warm welcome from locals and people when visiting the Geopark really feel like they get to know the place really well and that's why so many visitors return back time and time again."
