Southwest celebrates increase in foreign visitors

TOURIST chiefs in the southwest region are celebrating bucking the national trend with an 5% increase in foreign visitors, and they are hoping to attract transatlantic flights into Cork Airport.

More than 1.5 million overseas visitors spent some, or all, of their stay in the Cork-Kerry region the second largest number outside of Dublin.

Outgoing chairman of Cork-Kerry tourism Councillor Michael Courtney said yesterday the region attracted 42% of all North American visitors to