The recent Ireland-Scotland rugby international saw visitors spend £7.3 million and generate the equivalent of 317 full-time jobs for a year, a conference in Dublin was told yesterday. The conference, organised by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, heard how festivals and events could be better harnessed to extend the tourism season.

A study by Fitzpatrick Associates of the match, played on February 7th this year, showed that 47,500 people went to Landsdowne Road. An estimated 22,600 came from Dublin, with a further 10,885 from other parts of Ireland and 13,930 overseas visitors.

Using the match as an example of the benefits of event-related tourism, the study reported that those who were not from Dublin spent £7.3 million, mostly on accommodation, food and drink. It generated the equivalent of 317 full time jobs for a year.

"The economic benefits of the home international do not stop there," the report continued. "A majority of out-of-State visitors said that they will return to Dublin as a direct result of their `rugby experience'. . . so while Ireland lost the match, Dublin won the day."

The conference, held in the DIT Cathal Brugha Street, also heard from the head of the Wexford Festival Opera, Mr Jerome Hynes. The annual event, which draws 35 per cent of its audiences from overseas, has doubled its capacity in the past decade. It has also quadrupled its budget, he said, and now generates upwards of £10 million a year in the local economy.

"The figures alone speak for themselves," said Dublin Chamber of Commerce research executive, Mr Ciaran Conlon. "Special events and festivals can and should play a central role in the continued strategic growth of the tourism industry. Not only to they develop artistic, cultural and social elements in a region, but they also pay their way."