Tourism in the west under threat claims Dunlewey businessman Ciaran Roarty

West Donegal businessman Ciaran Roarty has called for better management of the area's iconic tourist attractions, particularly in the summertime.

He was reacting to a sign he saw while passing Glenveagh National Park stating its car park was full and there was no entry allowed.

In his Facebook post, Mr Roarty said he was unhappy at what he had seen.

"As a local business owner, I was very disheartened as I passed Glenveagh National Park yesterday to see this sign out by the roadside. 

The sign at the entrance to Glenveagh National Park

"This side of Donegal has always had to work a lot harder to get the tourists in and for the National Park to display this sign that they are not able to cater for large crowds is not acceptable. 

"There is plenty of room to extend the car park, if this was done the tourists would be able to visit this attraction and it would steer them further into the north-west instead of turning and going the opposite direction when they see this sign. 

"Where are our local councillors on this matter and also the condition of the back of Errigal Road at the moment needs serious attention?"

Mr Roarty has also expressed concern about the lack of adequate parking at another tourist destination. Errigal mountain. He said cars were parked on both sides of the road where people started to climb and this created conditions that could lead to an accident.

"The car parking there needs to be addressed before someone is seriously hurt or killed, it's an accident waiting to happen."

He said he also had to allow visitors to the area to use the toilets at his shop/filling station as there was no adequate service provided at the bottom of the mountain. He claimed all these situations did little to entice visitors to stay in their area.

"We have the shop in Dunlewey but we are providing the toilets for Errigal. We never turn anyone away but we shouldn't be providing that service. I can guarantee you on a busy day at Errigal we could have up to 200 people using our toilets.

"Small businesses here need a busy summer to ensure we can stay open during the winter and this means having the right infrastructure in place be it information, parking facilities, proper roads, or toilets," he added.