St Patrick's Day to boost Irish tourism

St Patrick's Day sees a significant number of people descend on Dublin to enjoy the festivities, it has been claimed.

A spokesperson for Tourism Ireland said that the city is "extremely popular" at this time of year and St Patrick's Day has become the "focal point" of a festival it hosts.

"A carnival atmosphere provides a backdrop for days of music and activities, which include street theatre, fireworks displays, pageants, exhibitions, music and dance, with the highlight of the festival being the city’s St Patrick’s Day Parade," she stated.

People are not taking much longer Holidays to Ireland, she added, claiming that there are a variety of things to do in the country, including sight-seeing, cycling, horse riding, climbing, and watersports.

Tourism Ireland recently announced that it was launching a new six-month campaign to promote the country as a tourist destination.

It is hoped that nine million people will visit the island this year.

Destinations News posted on 13/03/2008 11:42:17