Sunday, 25th January 2004

TOURISM REQUIRES DECISION ON STADIUM
Says Irish Hotels Federation

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) today called on the Government to make a decision on the development of a national stadium for Ireland and give the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) the clarity that will enable them to concentrate on the promotion and development of their games. The IHF, which represents 1,000 hotels and guesthouses in Ireland, is calling on the Government to make a speedy decision so that the development of a stadium can begin. It stated that the lack of a national stadium is a critical gap in Ireland's infrastructure and its absence results in an estimated €200m each year in tourism revenue being put at risk.

According to Mr Jim Murphy, President, IHF, a national stadium is a key part of tourism infrastructure and it is ludicrous that Ireland may face a situation where its home international matches, in rugby and soccer, are hosted in England due to lack of facilities in the existing Lansdowne Road grounds. He estimates that the economic loss to the country could be as much as €200m every year that home international rugby and soccer matches are taken out of the country.

"Given that Ireland has successfully hosted high profile international sports events such as the Tour de France and the Special Olympics in recent years, and is due to host the Ryder Cup Golf in 2006, it proves that we have the organisational and administrative talent required to host such large scale events. What we currently lack is not the expertise to host international sporting events, but rather the availability of a stadium to stage such events. Sport is a tremendous vehicle to further promote Ireland on the world stage. A national stadium would provide the capacity urgently needed for events such as rugby, soccer and athletics to take place, which would attract additional visitors to Ireland," Jim Murphy stated.

Approximately 20,000 UK rugby supporters travel to England's away matches, as do 15,000 Welsh supporters and 10,000 supporters from France and Scotland.

"Six million overseas visitors come to Ireland each year and tourism bodies such as Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland spend huge efforts and resources in marketing Ireland as a destination of choice. If Ireland is to continue to grow its market share in global tourism we must have vital elements of infrastructure such as a national stadium and a conference centre in place," Mr Murphy concluded.

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