€120m tourism drive to attract a million visitors

A NEW dedicated tourism unit has unveiled plans to attract a million extra tourists to Cork city and generate €120 million in tourism revenue.

The multi-million euro tourism drive launched by Cork City Council will be one of the single biggest direct tourism campaigns ever undertaken by the city.

It is also hoping to capitalise on the visit to Leeside on May 20 by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. The British Ambassador to Ireland, Julian King, who helped launch the tourism drive, said the Queen’s visit will help Ireland, and Cork, “shine a light” on their positives.

“One of the elements of the visit will underline all the positive links that there are between our two countries, in all sorts of areas, including tourism,” Mr King said.

“There are about three million visitors from Britain to Ireland every year, bringing about €1 billion into the Irish economy, but that’s down from where it’s been in the past, and where it could be in the future,” he said.

“There are at least a million missing British tourists which we need together to go out and get and there’s no reason why those tourists shouldn’t come to Cork.”

The tourism drive will be spearheaded by the council’s new Tourism, Events, Arts and Marketing (TEAM) unit set up earlier this year by city manager Tim Lucey, and headed by Valerie O’Sullivan, the city council’s director of corporate affairs.

“We want to reflect the unique energy and vibrancy of Cork city into an equally energetic and vibrant marketing drive that will get people to sit up and appreciate this magnificent city,” said Ms O’Sullivan.

TEAM has already identified several projects to enhance the city’s visitor experience, including the roll-out of free wi-fi across the city centre by July and the installation of tourist- friendly directional street signs.