Coillte reveals Ireland s ten most popular forests as some visitor numbers triple during 2020
2.2 million people visited the country’s most popular forests from March onwards. By Stephen McDermott Tuesday 16 Feb 2021, 1:48 PM Feb 16th 2021, 1:48 PM 32,728 Views 19 Comments
Image: Shutterstock/Lillac
Image: Shutterstock/Lillac
COILLTE HAS REVEALED that visitor numbers to its forests increased by almost 40% during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Figures released by the State-owned forestry company show that 2.2 million people visited the country’s fifty most popular forests from the beginning of March to the end of December last year - a 38% increase 1.6 million for the same period in 2019.
Visitor numbers to some of the most popular forests in Dublin, Kildare and Monaghan were two or three times higher than they were before th
Kilkenny forest the fifth most-visited in Ireland during Covid-19
Top ten revealed
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A Kilkenny forest was number five in the top ten most-visited Coillte forests in the country during Covid-19.
Jenkinstown Wood has been proving a popular destination for local people looking to get out and about and enjoy nature during the long days of lockdowns. The Dublin Mountains (of which Ticknock Forest accounts for the majority) is the most visited, followed by Rossmore Forest Park in Monaghan and Donadea Forest Park in Kildare.
Overall, visitor numbers to the country’s top 50 forests were 2.2 million from the beginning of March to the end of December 2020. As Coillte has around 6,000 forest properties, the number of visitors across the nation’s forests is a multiple of this. This represents an overall increase of 38% from 1.6 million for the same period in 2019.