Limerick City Councillors Propose Overhaul of Tourism Website

Limerick City Councillors are advocating for significant changes to the city’s tourism website, Limerick.ie, during a recent Metropolitan meeting. The discussion centered on enhancing the platform’s functionality and user experience, particularly in anticipation of the upcoming Ryder Cup 2027.

Councillors Call for a Revamp

At the meeting, several councillors expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the website. Cllr Sarah Kiely, representing Fine Gael, emphasized the need for a streamlined digital presence, asserting that the council’s messaging is “all over the place.” She proposed the creation of a dedicated ‘Visit Limerick’ website to improve clarity and accessibility for potential visitors. “Our messaging needs to be streamlined. We need to be clear in our websites,” she stated.

Other councillors echoed these sentiments. Cllr Elisa O’Donovan referred to Limerick.ie as “clunky,” while Cllr Ursula Gavan suggested consolidating information onto a single page, including an events calendar. Additionally, Cllr Dan McSweeney remarked that not having a dedicated tourism site is a “missed opportunity” for the city.

Existing Success and Future Plans

Despite the criticisms, Donn O’Sullivan, the Council’s Head of Communications and Marketing, defended the current platform. He highlighted that Limerick.ie attracted over 1 million users in 2024 and is recognized as one of the top 25 tourism websites globally. “Limerick.ie consistently ranks as the number one Google search result for key search items,” he explained, pointing out the website’s established credibility and coordinated content management strategy.

O’Sullivan’s comments aimed to reassure councillors about the effectiveness of the existing website, which he believes would be difficult to replicate with a new site. “These rankings are the result of the platform, scale, credibility, and coordinated content management strategy,” he added.

As the discussion continues, the council faces the challenge of balancing innovative ideas with the proven success of their current platform. The outcome of these deliberations will be pivotal in shaping the digital landscape for Limerick’s tourism sector, particularly with the significant event of the Ryder Cup on the horizon.