BORD FAILTE research shows that the IRA ceasefire has increased the potential market for British tourists here by five million people. The agency's director general, Mr Malt McNulty, said that, even in the absence of a ceasefire, the agency was predicting a 15 per cent rise in British visitors this year.
The Minister for Tourism and Trade, Mr Kenny, said a renewed IRA ceasefire would reassure the British market but Bord Failte's forecast was realistic provided there was no resumption of IRA attacks like the Canary Wharf bombing.
Mr Kenny, opening the Ireland Holiday Workshop in Dublin yesterday, disagreed with the Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, who said last week that economic co-operation between both parts of the island masked a political dimension. It was self evident, Mr Kenny said, that tourism had brought great benefits to Ireland North and South.
The number of British visitors to the Republic last year was 2,285,000. If the present target is reached, this will rise to 2,712,500. The interest in Ireland is reflected in the fact that almost 20 per cent of the British tour operations at the workshop never featured Ireland in their brochures before. A number of others are returning after an absence of three or four years.
For mainland Europe, the forecast for this year is a 10 per cent increase in visitors. The number last year was just over one million. The main negative factor was sluggish consumer spending in Germany. Even so, German tour operators expected a 6 to 10 per cent increase in visitors to Ireland this year.
The French market, the second most important, is buoyant. This has been helped by the six month L'Imaginaire Irlandais exhibition in France.
The forecast for growth from the US is 12 per cent. Last year the number of visitors was 641,000. Aer Lingus has a new scheduled service from Chicago, and World Airways is flying from Newark, Philadelphia, Boston and Los Angeles.
The American football game here between Michigan based Notre Dame and a US Navy team from Annapolis, Maryland, in November is expected to attract 15,000 visitors. Dublin was unable to cope with these numbers, Mr Kenny said, and they would have to be accommodated as far away as Sligo and Mayo.
Mr Kenny had some good news for the Co Clare resort of Lisdoonvarna. "This year, for the first time ever, one tour operator is going to keep Lisdoonvana open in the winter."