Aims and likely Cross Border benefits of the project:The partners want to create an upmarket website ‘Best of Both Worlds’ focusing on Donegal Bay, the hills of Donegal and the pastoral lands of the Gortin Glen & Owenkillew river. The website will promote and market the two areas, local heritage and attractions as well as market the accommodation and activities both organisations offer to potential visitors. The website will show availability of accommodation units and will allow the promoters to offer discount rates at short notice to maximise use of facilities. The website will also allow the organisations to post comments from their visitors books and market forthcoming events in the district.

The collation of content for the website will be undertaken by a member of staff from Owenkillew and a marketing consultant who will also provide advise on the content. The promoters will contract a professional IT Provider with tourism background to develop the website.

Six staff, three from both organisations will receive training in how to update the website and how to use it as a marketing tool. They will receive 2 days initial training, which will be followed up with 1 additional day after 3 months once the system has had a chance to bed down and staff are more familiar with the system.

The promoters will also be producing a joint DL 3 brochure to accompany the website.

Project Objectives:

• To develop a joint website as a marketing resource
• To train staff to update the website
• To increase staff understanding of e-marketing, different tourist market needs and knowledge of how to meet these needs
• To create cross border business linkages of local tourist providers
• To increase visitor numbers to both areas as well as increase bed nights and boat bookings