Giro d’Italia: A boost for tourism

It would be hard to exaggerate the financial boost for tourism over the weekend as 200 elite cyclists raced from Armagh to Dublin on a scenic route of the Giro d’Italia. For thousands of spectators who braved the elements on winding country roads on a wet and windy Sunday, it was not to be missed.

Worth over €10m in media advertising, the spectacle is expected to draw large numbers of tourists to Ireland, lured by the scenery and the prospect of cycling on trails meandering through remote parts of the country.

Besides generating more revenue for airlines and shipping companies, the Giro promises to bring more visitors to hotels, restaurants, and B&B providers up and down the country. If even a fraction of the millions of TV viewers across Europe and beyond who watched yesterday’s leg of the race come to Ireland, the decision to stage part of the world’s second biggest cycle race here will pay off handsomely.