Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly has stated that Dublin is in need of a large-scale hotel to help attract business from companies that wish to hold conferences in a city where they can house all of their delegates in a single venue.
Kelly asserted that Ireland is missing out on "tens of millions of euro" of additional international conference business due to the lack of a hotel with 800-1,000 bedrooms in Dublin city centre.
The Irish Times quotes Kelly as saying, "[Fáilte Ireland is] actively engaged with property developers in discussions about the options regarding sites. We’re encouraged by the conversations to date. I think we will solve [the problem of the lack of large hotels]."
Meitheal
Kelly's comments came as Fáilte Ireland's flagship trade event, Meitheal, got underway at Citywest Hotel on April 2.
Organised by Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, Meitheal is a two day event, the purpose of which is to enable businesses in the Irish tourism industry to pitch face-to-face to influential international buyers.
This year’s event is being billed as the most significant in Meitheal’s history with the possibility of a no-deal Brexit looming. In the case of a hard Brexit, Fáilte Ireland’s research shows that Ireland could lose more than one million overseas tourists from Britain alone, which could cost the Irish tourism sector €380 million and 10,000 jobs in the first year.
Meitheal is bringing together 600 Irish tourism businesses and 300 international buyers and tour operators from more than 22 countries, including Britain, Germany, France, the US, the Middle East, China and India. This marks the largest attendance at Meitheal to date.
"Absolutely Committed To Growing Tourism"
Minister for transport, tourism and sport Shane Ross commented, "The government is absolutely committed to growing tourism in Ireland and helping industry prepare for Brexit. Meitheal is the largest tourism event of its kind in Ireland and it is a hugely important event that provides a unique platform for selling everything we have to offer. This event wouldn’t be possible without the great work being done by individual businesses and communities across Ireland to attract visitors, and I want to pay tribute to them."
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
