Plans afoot for 'Gathering part 2' to lure foreign tourists

The original Gathering provided a €170m economic boost and kicked off a seven-year expansion of the tourism sector.

Tourism Minister Catherine Martin is planning a 'Gathering Part 2' to lure back foreign travellers, but cannot say what year this will take place.

Ms Martin said discussions around an event on the scale of the 2013 tourism-led initiative are under way, but she cannot say if a second Gathering will go ahead next year.

"We haven't made a decision, we're engaging with the industry on what year would be best," she said.

"It's not just about the tourists coming in but it's everything that comes with a year like that. We want to tap into everything to make it successful and that's why the engagement with with the industry is key."

€170m economic boost

The original Gathering provided a €170m economic boost and kicked off a seven-year expansion of the tourism sector.

Ms Martin said she hoped to announce details of another similar event when the Dáil returns in the autumn.

She said the number of inbound travellers, while up in recent weeks, is still 90% down on pre-Covid figures.

"That US market and the UK market are really significant, what we have said in the national economic recovery plan is we will keep the supports in place," she said, referring to current pandemic supports.

Ahead of the 2020 general election, Fine Gael suggested a year-long event be organised to mark a decade since the original Gathering.

Their pre-pandemic manifesto suggested a "Year of the Invitation" be held in 2023, describing it as "a global invitation to visit Ireland on the 10-year anniversary of the Gathering".