Failte Ireland is investing an extra 20% funding into promoting home holidays within Ireland, bringing total funding to €3.3m. The national development authority for tourism also said it had committed €25m to developing regional tourism in 2004.
'Last year expenditure by Irish people at home increased by 16%,' commented the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, John O'Donoghue. 'In the last number of years, the domestic market has become increasingly important to the tourism industry, especially in difficult times,' the Minister said.
'A key objective is to increase the regional spread of visits and to encourage people to take a break in Ireland during the shoulder seasons,' he added.
The Chairman of Failte Ireland, Gillian Bowler, said the increased investment announced today is intended to achieve greater spatial balance in the tourism industry.
Last year, three out of every four bednights outside of Dublin were accounted for by the home market.
