Fáilte Ireland has launched a new "passport" for the Wild Atlantic Way, as part of a joint initiative with An Post.

And no, paying the €10 for the souvenir hardback booklet isn't legally required for entry to the Wild Atlantic Way. Instead, it is hoped that tourists of a completist nature will call into local post offices at each of the Wild Atlantic Way's 188 "discovery points" to have the passport marked with a "unique motif".

For every 20 new stamps collected, visitors can receive a Wild Atlantic Way gift from Tourism Information offices.

Holders will also be entered into a draw to win "a holiday of a lifetime along the Wild Atlantic Way".

Both the passport and the stamps will be available at the more than 130 post offices along the route, as well as in St Andrew's Street and the GPO in Dublin.

The passport was first proposed by Fine Gael TD Jim Daly last year with the intention of persuading tourists to revisit the route multiple times.

Daly says he hopes the passport will be used to both promote Wild Atlantic Way businesses and also offer carriers special offers: 

"For example, it could be used by tourists to access discounts and special deals in restaurants or hotels along the route, helping to market these businesses to the visitors".

Minister of State for Tourism & Sport, Patrick O'Donovan said:

"We want to deepen visitor engagement and encourage those who travel along the route to slow down, dwell longer and immerse themselves in the local towns and villages of the west coast. The local Post Office is at the heart of these communities".

Ryan Tubridy in Buncrana Post Office with Postmaster Christian McGinley. Photo: Clive Wasson