Pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan
FUNDING of €65,000 has been provided by Fáilte Ireland to support and develop Killarney’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations over the next three years.
Minister of State for Tourism, Brendan Griffin, made the announcement at a Kerry Tourism Summit in the Brehon Hotel in Killarney this Monday.
Fáilte Ireland has identified festivals as a key component for tourism growth and the hope is to grow overseas visitors coming to Ireland to attend a festival to 300,000 by 2022.
The tourism promotion body said this growth is expected to generate €150 million in revenue and as it takes place outside the traditional peak tourism season, St Patrick’s Day provides a significant opportunity to extend the season.
“Festivals and events play an important role in delivering brilliant visitor experiences and help to spread the benefits of tourism to communities,” Minister Griffin said.
“The commitment of Fáilte Ireland funding and development support for Killarney’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations is a welcome boost and a significant opportunity to attract overseas visitors to Kerry outside the traditional peak tourism season,” he added.
Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Festivals, Ciara Sugrue, said with a strong international proposition and a broad range of accommodation in the local area, Killarney’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations have the potential to motivate significant numbers of overseas visitors.
“We look forward to working with the organising committee over the next three years on a development plan that will see real growth,” she said.
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