This article is from page 16 of the 2006-10-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
WHILE the drama of the Ryanair takeover bid continues, Shannon Development have been drawing up plans to bring in tourism revenue from the destinations served by the airline out of Shannon.
As part of its regional tourism development role, the development agency plans to forge links with a number of tourism authorities in key countries where Ryanair routes have emerged.
“The launch of the new Ryanair routes this month from Shannon Airport to Biarritz and Carcassonne in the South of France, Faro in Portugal, Krakow in Poland and Venice in Italy, and newly announced routes from Madrid in Spain, Edinburgh and Bournemouth in the UK, as well as increased frequency on routes from Shannon to Barcelona Malaga and Milan, gives us an ideal opportunity to form strategic partnerships with local tourism authorities in these cities to facilitate a marketing alliance, and ultimately attract more visitors to the Shannon Region”, says John King, Heritage and Tourism Director, Shannon Development.
The first initiative of this type will see key Shannon Development tourism executives head to Biarritz early next month for what they are calling a ‘Biarritz Blitz’.
While in the area, they will target tourism travel media and invite them to a briefing on the Shannon Region as a tourism destination.
“If this pilot run proves successful we will roll it out in other Ryanair destinations important to Shannon Airport.
“We believe that we must keep aggressively marketing these routes to ensure the best return for the Shannon Region in terms of attracting additional tourists to our region”, said Pat Daly, Tourism Marketing Manger, Shannon Development.
He added that as “part of our ongoing tourism strategy we will be working with our colleagues in Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland and Ryanair, we will be inviting travel media from these destinations to visit the Shannon Region.”