Olympic torch tour - Opportunity for tourism

The thousands who witnessed yesterday’s tour of the Olympic torch were indicative of public interest.

It would be a mistake to regard the whole thing as a publicity stunt, because it could have real social and economic consequences.

Sport has a tremendous potential for breaking down barriers of division by promoting co-operation. The symbolism of the handing over of the torch at the border by Olympic silver medalist Wayne McCullough, a Belfast Protestant, to gold medalist Michael Carruth, a Dublin Catholic, was particularly significant. They both won their medals representing Ireland in boxing at the Games in Barcelona 20 years ago.

At the weekend Ireland will be playing in the European soccer finals for the first time since 1988, when the spirit of this country was lifted by both the performance of the team in Germany and the exemplary behaviour of Irish spectators. The tourist industry detected a distinct influx of German tourists in the wake of the championships.

Two years later the same phenomenon was witnessed following the performance of the Irish team and their magnificent supporters at the World Cup in Italy. For the first time ever there was a significant influx of Italian tourists into this country.

The handing over of the Olympic torch yesterday should act as a reminder not only of earlier heady days but also of the potential of sport not only to divert attention from our economic problems but also to help rectify those difficulties by increasing the number of foreign visitors. The number of visitors to Ireland fell by 13,700, or 1.2%, during the first three months of this year. This was largely due to a decline in American and continental visitors.

In the same period last year there was a similar decline but it was largely offset by an increase of 11,700 visitors from Britain. This was before the highly successful visit of Queen Elizabeth II. The potential of appealing to the British market in the midst of the improved situation during the Olympic Games should be apparent. This is an opportunity that we should seize.