Friday 10 th December 2004

CONFERENCE CENTRE TENDER STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION,

Hoteliers Chief Urges Speed of Construction

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) today greeted the news that the tender for the contract to construct Ireland’s much needed national conference centre has been published. Federation President Richard Bourke today urged the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism John O’Donoghue TD to ensure a speedy process in reviewing the tender proposals and awarding the contract, so that construction of this important piece of tourism infrastructure can commence without delay. Mr Bourke states that Ireland could benefit from an additional 50,000 conference visitors each year, boosting the national economy by up to €60 million, once the centre is open for business.

The lack of a national conference centre to date has, the IHF maintains, put Ireland at a serious disadvantage to other countries. “The Federation has long called on the Government to invest in this crucial facility, in order to enable Ireland to compete with other European countries in attracting conference business. The fact that the contract has now gone out to tender should, I hope, signal that construction will soon be underway. Any delay in construction of the centre will be unacceptable given the fact that Ireland is already on the back foot compared to other countries,” Mr Bourke said.

“The global conference market is worth €40 billion per year. With 120,000 conference delegates coming to Ireland each year, our portion of that revenue is relatively small. However, we would suggest that at a minimum some additional 50,000 visitors could be attracted here through the national conference centre, helping to give Ireland a bigger share of that market,” he states.

“On average conference delegates spend €1,200 in the country during their visit, 50% higher than the average tourist spend, generating a knock-on positive effect for the economy as a whole. One in three conference delegates extend their stay in the host country, thereby further contributing to tourism not just in Dublin but around other parts of the country also,” concludes Mr Bourke.

For information:

Siobhan Molloy / Niamh Boylan Tel: 01 6760168

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