Aer Lingus to offer €80 fares to lure US tourists

AIRFARES from as low as €80 will be offered to American holidaymakers to lure them to Ireland in one of the toughest years yet for the tourism industry.

Tourism Ireland said it has mounted its biggest ever campaign in the US to encourage visitors to Ireland while hotels and airlines are “doing everything possible” to encourage visitors here.

Aer Lingus will offer off-peak transatlantic rates from as little as €80 or $110 one-way as part of its efforts to encourage more people to travel between the US and Ireland. The airline confirmed it is heavily promoting Ireland as a tourist destination in the US, but it denied it is offering cheaper fares to American- based travellers compared with those on offer in Ireland. However, a check on Aer Lingus flights yesterday showed it was more than half the price to fly from New York to Dublin in September compared with a flight on the same day from Dublin to New York.