IRELAND: Two Weeks To See Tourism Spend €150m

Fáilte Ireland expects a significant increase in travellers from abroad for the festivities, and says a price tag cannot be put on the economic impact made from the publicity the country will receive for both St Patrick's Day and the Easter Rising Commemorations the following week.

Some 125,000 tourists are anticipated to arrive into the country, with another 250,000 Irish coming home for the weekend.

Among the droves of visitors will be close to 150,000 adults, according to estimates by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

This would bring at least €100m to the economy but could reach as high as €150m, a spokesman for the chamber told the Irish Independent.

"There's a fantastic mix with the weather, Scotland coming over for the rugby, and the Easter Rising commemorations, so it'd be a very good couple of weeks without factoring in Paddy's Day," he said.

"A conservative estimate would be €100m - but having a look at recent years, there will be 150,000 adults in the country and they're probably going to spend an average of €700 while they're here.

"It's pretty good numbers and it's good for the economy. It's going to be a bumper couple of weeks," he added.

The visitor spend will spread across hotels, pubs, shops and tourists attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol.

Fáilte Ireland's Alex Connolly said that the Emerald Isle would be the "envy of the world" over the coming weeks.
"Ireland is going to be front and centre across the world," Mr Connolly said.

"It's going to be an intense few weeks of tourism, with a very large footfall coming in from overseas.

"Paddy's Day is a global calling card and I don't think any country in the world has a day like this - everybody has an aspiration to be Irish.
"However, it's impossible to quantify the impact of the commemorations because it's never happened before."

It is expected that close to 650,000 people will line Dublin's streets for the centrepiece of the festival, tomorrow's parade.