Tourism Ireland welcomes new Ryanair Shannon routes

Tourism Ireland today welcomed the commencement of the new Ryanair services from Europe and Britain into Shannon.

The decision to choose Shannon Airport as a major European hub is s a tremendous boost for tourism on the Western seaboard, according to Tourism Ireland chief executive, Paul O'Toole.

"Global competition has never been stronger so we need to motivate consumers with compelling offers and reasons to visit, combined with a range of competitively-priced access options to a variety of locations on the island.

"Ryanair's decision to open a base in Shannon means that potential visitors across Great Britain and Continental Europe now have low-cost access direct into the heart of the Western seaboard. This can only be a good thing for tourism businesses in the region," said Mr O'Toole.

Ryanair has added services to Hamburg, Dusseldorf and Milan to existing services to Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, London and Liverpoool, among others.

The low cost carrier today announced a 20,000 free seat sale to mark the event.